NSERC CREATE Program on Neutron Science and Engineering of Functional Materials

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This program trains graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and undergraduates in the use and development of quantum information processing (QIP) and neutron methods. These emerging scientists will use the skills they develop in the program to make meaningful scientific contributions to industry and society. Neutrons are exquisite probes of functional materials because they are light, have no electric charge, and have a magnetic moment. These properties can be exploited in a broad range of applications vital to Canadian society, including fuel cell design, oil exploration, battery development, spintronics, non-destructive testing of mechanical components, exploration of membrane-bound proteins for biochemical applications, and neutron fluorescence in detectors used for national security. This list will continue to grow by integrating techniques from the growing field of quantum information processing - an area in which Canada is already an established leader. QIP promises to transform the way we interact with the nano-world. By applying ideas of QIP to neutron science we reach unprecidented measurement precision and sensitivities. This program will create a cohort of young, uniquely skilled, multidisciplinary researchers who are experts in both of these areas. These highly qualified personnel will be the leaders in creating cutting-edge applications in these fields. This training program will combine Canada's historical strength in neutron science at McMaster University's Brockhouse Institute with its established leadership in quantum information science at the University of Waterloo's Institute for Quantum Computing. These centres of expertise will be linked with international leaders via the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).