About Subject Division

The objective of the Surface Science Division (SSD) is the advancement of knowledge regarding surfaces, in particular within the Canadian context. Both fundamental and applied aspects are included. The Division is a joint Chemical Institute of Canada / Canadian Association of Physicists Division.

In addition to supporting surface science related workshops and symposia, the Division hosts the Surface Canada Conference series. This conference is interdisciplinary in nature and brings together world-recognized experts and young researchers from a broad spectrum of disciplines including physics, chemistry, material science engineering and many other fields and covers a wide range of topics pertinent to surface science, from the fundamental to the applied.

SSD executives

  • Vicki Meli, Chair (2022-present), Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mount Allison University
  • Maryam Ebrahimi, Vice-Chair (2023-present), Department of Chemistry, Lakehead University
  • Mark Biesinger, Secretary-Treasurer (2015-present), Surface Science Western and Department of Chemistry, Western University
  • Erika Merschrod, Past Chair (2020-2022), Department of Chemistry, Memorial University

SSD awards

J.P. Hobson Prize 
Best Student Oral Presentation Award, Presented at Surface Canada

Peter Hobson (National Research Council in Ottawa) was a founding member of the Division of Surface Science Executive in 1979. He served as Vice-Chair and participated in the discussions with the CAP and CIC on the formation of the Division.

Jean-Denis Carette Prize
Best Student Poster Award, Presented at Surface Canada

Jean-Denis Carette (Laboratory for Atomic and Molecular Physics at Laval University) was the first Vice Chair of the Division but sadly passed away during his presidential term with the Division.

NEW AWARDS and APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The PRN award recognizes notable and significant contributions to the advancement of Surface Science in Canada.  This can include significant research contributions in surface science and/or service to the Surface Science Division of the Canadian Society for Chemistry  (CSC) and the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP), such as organizing Surface Canada meetings and Surface Science symposia, membership within the executive of the division, fundraising and promoting awareness of the division. The recipient should be an active member of the Surface Science Division.  The recipient is expected to give an award lecture at a Surface Science symposium at the CSC, CAP or Surface Canada.

Peter Norton was born in the United Kingdom in 1942 and attended the University of Nottingham, England obtaining a B.Sc. in 1963 and a PhD in Chemistry in 1966. He travelled to Ottawa in 1967 to further his research career at the National Research Council subsequently moving to McMaster University, Hamilton, Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories and finally to Western University in London where he was a professor and research scientist from 1986 until his retirement in 2011. He became a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2007. Norton was a founding and preeminent member of the Surface Science Division and served on the executive in the formative years of the division. 

Value : $1,000, an engraved plaque, and up to an additional $2000 to offset travel/registration costs to a Surface Science symposium at the CSC, CAP, or Surface Canada meeting. 

The PAR award recognizes excellence in publications and research activity in the field of surface science from young investigators. The recipient must have demonstrated independent research in academia, industry or governmental laboratories in the areas of surface science. The recipient will be a Canadian resident who has obtained their last advanced education degree no more than 10 years before the year of the award. The recipient does not need to be a member of Surface Science Division but is expected to give an award lecture in a Surface Science symposium at the CSC, CAP, or  Surface Canada meeting in the same calendar year of the award.

Paul Rowntree was born in 1959, grew up in London, Ontario, and attended the University of Waterloo where he completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in chemistry. After finishing his Ph.D. at Princeton University, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at l’ Université de Sherbrooke (Département de Médecine Nucléaire et Radiobiologie). In 1992, he became a faculty member in the Département de Chimie before moving to the University of Guelph in 2006, where he served as Chair of the Chemistry Department from 2014 to 2020. Amongst his many research achievements, Paul’s early research studying the reaction dynamics of molecules interacting with solid surfaces was particularly influential to the Surface Science community. 

Value: 1,000, an engraved plaque, and up to an additional $2000 to offset travel/registration costs to a Surface Science symposium at the CSC, CAP, or Surface Canada meeting. 

  1. Awards will be given out biannually and in off-setting years (i.e. the PRN in odd numbered years). Calls for nominations will be made in July and close in September.
  2. Nominations will consist of a) a nomination letter highlighting the applicant’s accomplishments as they pertain to the award and b) two letters of support. Self nominations are not accepted for the PRN award but are accepted for the PAR award. Nomination packages should also include a short CV (5 pages maximum). 
  3. An awards sub-committee of the Surface Science Division will adjudicate the applications and announce the winners in November. For example, the decision for the 2025 PAR award would be made in November of 2024.
  4. Applications will remain active for three years upon receipt.