The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and Perimeter Institute are working together to increase Canada’s research capacity in two key areas: at the forefront of quantum intelligence and in fundamental astrophysics.

Focused on promoting research excellence, this partnership allows the NRC and Perimeter Institute to recruit top postdoctoral fellows and students who will advance research at the CHIME telescope in British Columbia, as well as at the Perimeter Institute Quantum Intelligence Lab (PIQuIL) in Ontario. The two organizations announced the partnership at one of Perimeter’s popular monthly public lectures.

“Brilliant young researchers are the lifeblood of science, and the NRC-Perimeter alignment helps support early-career scientists in two areas of strategic interest for the country,” said Robert Myers, Perimeter Director and BMO Financial Group Isaac Newton Chair.

The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) is exploring the origins of our cosmos, and has revolutionized the search for mysterious deep-space signals called fast radio bursts.

The new postdoctoral positions will further advance the instrumental development, theory, and data analysis that helps keep Canada at the forefront of this international field.

CHIME is operated by a collaboration of scientists at the University of British Columbia, McGill University, the University of Toronto, the National Research Council of Canada, and Perimeter Institute.

PIQuIL is a research hub located in the Communitech Data Hub in Waterloo, where scientists and industry partners explore how algorithms from artificial intelligence can address fundamental questions in physics, and how quantum science can inform and enable research into AI. This multidisciplinary pursuit attracts high-quality talent and provides skills-building experience to enhance the country’s workforce in the competitive AI-quantum landscape.

National Research Council President Iain Stewart said that "a long-term view" is required to "become leaders in quantum intelligence, and to answer some of the world’s fundamental questions about cosmology. These postdoctoral fellowships will help us to invest in tomorrow’s leaders in these important areas of research.”