Perimeter researchers named among ‘world’s best physics scholars’

This year’s edition of the Research.com list ranking the best researchers in physics includes six scientists from Perimeter Institute, plus many more affiliated with the Institute. 

The researchers named span many fields of fundamental physics. From Perimeter’s Research Faculty they include Director Robert Myers, known for his contributions to quantum gravity, and Davide Gaiotto, a leader in the study of quantum fields.

Four of Perimeter’s Associate Faculty, who are jointly appointed with other institutions, are also named. They are cosmologist Will Percival, who has played key roles in efforts to map the Universe; cosmologist Ue-Li Pen, who is part of the CHIME collaboration, particle physicist Cliff Burgess; and quantum computing pioneer Raymond Laflamme. 

Three Perimeter Research Chairs (Visiting) who come regularly to Perimeter from their home institutions also appeared on the list: cosmologist Neil Turok, particle theorist Savas Dimopoulos, and quantum matter pioneer Subir Sachdev.

An additional 15 researchers associated with Perimeter as Distinguished Visiting Research Chairs (DVRCs) are also named in the rankings, as well as six Affiliate researchers.

The rankings are created using citation-based metrics: specifically, a discipline-specific ‘H-index’ that compares the number of papers a researcher has published to the number of times those papers have been cited. Only researchers with an H-index of 40 or higher were considered for the list.

A total of 74 Canadians made the Research.com list, placing Canada seventh among countries with the highest number of leading physicists. The country’s international research profile in physics has grown in recent years, in part due to federal and provincial investments in Perimeter and in physics research more broadly. In January of this year, for example, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry, visited Perimeter to announce the launch of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy to fund research and development of new quantum technologies in Canada.