Canada Research Chair does big things in a small way

Dr. Reuven Gordon (electrical and computer engineering) is UVic’s newest Canada Research Chair. As the Canada Research Chair in Nanoplasmonics, Gordon will conduct research that will help in the creation of sensors for the early detection of cancers, new tools to study viral infection and more efficient and cost-effective solar devices.

Under a microscope, human cells can be seen with our eyes. Viruses or cancer markers, however, are invisible because they are much smaller than the wavelength of light. To see them, the light must be reduced to the nanometre scale. (A nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter.) Gordon is using “nanoplasmonics,” with nanofabricated metals, to “squeeze” the light.

Gordon is also researching the use of nanoplasmonics for more efficient solar energy conversion. While solar energy is the most bountiful of green-energy sources, it is also the most expensive, so it is hardly used. Again, nanostructured metals show promise in this area because they allow for more efficient light absorption from the sun with lower material costs.

“By shrinking light to the nanometer scale— the size of viruses, for example—it is possible to increase the interaction of light with materials,” Gordon explains. “This has obvious benefits when trying to detect a single molecule that identifies if someone has cancer, or when trying to capture and study a virus with light. Even large-scale devices, like solar cells, can benefit from nanoplasmonics because they enhance light-matter interaction dramatically.”

“Dr. Gordon conducts leading-edge work that will push the limits of his study area with medical and sustainable energy applications,” says UVic President David Turpin. “The Canada Research Chairs program helps universities to attract and retain the best talent from around the world, assisting universities like the University of Victoria to achieve research excellence in natural sciences and engineering, health sciences, and social sciences and humanities.”

Gordon’s five-year appointment is as a $500,000 tier-2 chair, recognizing exceptional emerging researchers acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. More information about Gordon’s research.

The latest round of Canada Research Chairs was announced at UVic last month. Also included were 10 UVic chair renewals: Robert Chow (retinal and early eye development); Ted Darcie (optical systems for communications, imaging, and sensing), Xiaodai Dong (ultra-wideband communications), Arthur Kroker (technology, culture and theory), Ian Putnam (operator algebras and dynamical systems), Anthony Quas (measurable dynamics and ergodic theory), Raymond Siemens (humanities computing), Margaret-Anne Storey (cognitive support for software and knowledge engineering), Verena Tunnicliffe (deep oceans research) and Joan Wharf Higgins (health and society). The renewals are for seven- and five-year terms respectively. UVic holds 35 CRC positions.