About Subject Division
The Physical, Theoretical and Computational Division of the Canadian Society of Chemistry serves to promote excellence in research, training, and education in our discipline. We bring together researchers with experimental, computational, and theoretical approaches to understanding the fundamental physical phenomena that underly all chemical disciplines. We sponsor prestigious awards for outstanding Canadian chemists and promote the next generation of scientists via student awards at a variety of conferences.
PTC executive
- Khashayar Ghandi, Chair (2026), University of Guelph
- David Bryce, Vice-Chair (2026), University of Ottawa
- Richard Bowles, Secretary-Treasurer (2026), University of Saskatchewan
Executive members at large:
- Robert Mawhinney (2026), Lakehead University
- M. Shajahan Gulam Razul (2026), St. Francis Xavier University
- Pierre-Nicholas Roy (2025), University of Waterloo
- Samuel Atkinson (2025), Memorial University of Newfoundland
Additional roles:
- Student/PDF member-at-large: Sean Park (2025), University of Waterloo
- Student/PDF member-at-large: Scott McKay (2025), Ontario Tech University
- Past Chair: Alex Brown (2026), University of Alberta
PTC awards
The Keith Laidler Award recognizes outstanding early-career contributions to physical chemistry, for research carried out in Canada, by a scientist residing in Canada. Details on the award and how to apply can be found here.
The John C. Polanyi Award is presented for excellence by a scientist carrying out research in Canada in physical, theoretical or computational chemistry or chemical physics. Details on the award and how to apply can be found here.
The Tom Ziegler Award is presented in honour of Prof. Tom Ziegler (1945-2015) to a scientist residing in Canada who has made an outstanding early-career contribution to theoretical and/or computational chemistry. The award is sponsored by Software for Chemistry & Material B.V. Details on the award and how to apply can be found here.