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Director General, National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT)
Dr. Nils Petersen was appointed Director General of the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) in November 2004. He has earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and a B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Western Ontario (UWO).
In 1981 after holding positions at Cornell University and Washington University Medical School, Dr. Petersen joined UWO's Department of Chemistry as a faculty member. During his time in London, Ontario, Dr. Petersen was Associate Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies (1993 – 1995), he chaired the Department of Chemistry (1995-1999), and since 1999 he has held senior leadership positions at UWO, including Associate Vice-President, Research and more recently, Vice-President (Research).
Dr. Petersen is a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada and he has received various honours and notable awards, including Caltech's Herbert Newby McCoy Award for best Chemistry Ph.D. thesis, the Lieutenant Governor's Laurel Award for Teaching, an Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations teaching award, and UWO's Edward G. Pleva Award for Excellence in Teaching, Faculty Association Alumni Award and a Distinguished Research Professorship.
Over the years Dr. Petersen has served as a member of the College of Reviewers for the Canada Research Chairs Program, as Chair of the Canada Foundation for Innovation Expert Committee for Science Facilities, as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Canadian Institute of Synchrotron Radiation, and as Board Chair of SHARCNET (Shared Hierarchical Academic Research Computing Network). He also holds a joint-appointment as a Professor in the University of Alberta's Department of Chemistry.
Dr. Petersen's current research focuses on intermolecular interactions in biological membranes, particularly the study of the dynamics and distribution of molecules within the membrane as a means of understanding cell-cell communication, signal transduction, adhesion and locomotion of cells.
