University of Toronto Engineering Professor Prasanth Nair (UTIAS) has been awarded the Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Computational Modeling and Design Optimization Under Uncertainty .
The prestigious honour recognizes Professor Nair’s research excellence, which involves developing the next generation of computational methods for improving the performance and safety of complex engineering systems.
His work will concentrate on ways to reduce the time and money it takes to run select systems that often do not perform the same way in theory as they do in the real world.
To address this challenge, he will “focus on developing new mathematical frameworks and methods for computational modeling in the presence of uncertainty,” he explained. “This work will ultimately be used to design systems that perform as intended – saving time and money and making engineered systems safer.”
Professor Nair, who joined the University of Toronto Institute of Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) in March 2011, is also excited that his research will take place at U of T Engineering where he’ll work with top peers and world-class computational infrastructure. “The Institute for Aerospace Studies, where I am based, is one of the top aerospace departments in the world, which attracts some of the best undergraduate and graduate students from Canada and across the world.”
Before being recruited to work at the University of Toronto, Professor Nair was appointed as a Research Fellow in the School of Engineering Sciences at the University of Southampton in England, later being promoted to Senior Lecturer.
Canada Research Chairs are divided into two tiers. Professor Nair was named a Tier II Chair, which recognizes recipients who are emerging research leaders in their fields. They are also awarded $500,000 over five years and may be renewed once at the discretion of their university.
“We are extremely grateful and proud that Professor Prasanth Nair has been awarded the Canada Research Chair,” said Professor Cristina Amon, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “This recognition attests to the high quality of Professor Nair’s research and his potential to become a leader in the field of computational modeling and design optimization.”
The Canada Research Chair program is a government-funded initiative, which was launched in 2000. It is part of a national strategy to recognize research excellence and attract first-class researchers from around the world to Canadian universities.
To learn more about all the new U of T CRC Chairs, visit U of T News.
