Dr. Nils Petersen

Director General, NRC - National Institute of Nanotechnology

In November 2004, Dr. Nils Petersen became the Director General of the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) in Edmonton, Alberta. Established in 2001, the National Institute for Nanotechnology is an integrated, multidisciplinary research institution involving researchers in physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, informatics, pharmacy and medicine that conducts advanced research and fosters innovation in support of a new generation of nanotechnology-based firms. NINT is operated as a partnership between the National Research Council and the University of Alberta, and is jointly funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta and the university. Nils Petersen received his BSc Honors in Chemistry from The University of Western Ontario in 1972. He went on to receive his PhD in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1978, where he won the Herbert Newby McCoy Award for best Chemistry PhD thesis. After positions at Cornell University and Washington University Medical School, he returned to The University of Western Ontario’s Department of Chemistry as a faculty member in 1981. He was Chair of the department from 1995 to 1999. From 1993 to 1995, he was Associate Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies; from 1999 to 2000 he was Associate Vice-President (Research); and for a two-month period in 2000, he was Western’s Acting Vice-President (Research). Dr. Petersen’s current research focuses on intermolecular interactions in biological membranes, particularly the study of the dynamics and distribution of molecules within the membrane as a means of understanding cell-cell communication, signal transduction, adhesion and locomotion of cells. It spans a range of disciplines from Theoretical Mathematics to Biology. Dr. Petersen will continue to participate fully in academic pursuits at the University of Alberta through a joint-appointment as a Professor in the Department of Chemistry.