Elisabeth J. Nicol

Education and Employment Background

Dr. Elisabeth Nicol completed her PhD in physics at McMaster University. She went on to work as a Postdoctoral Fellow at McMaster University and then as a NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California at Santa Barbara. She joined the Department of Physics at the University of Guelph in 1994, where she is now a full professor. Since joining the Department of Physics, she has been a visiting scientist at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California and an affiliate of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo. She also served as the Physics Columnist on CBC Radio's "Quirks and Quarks", appearing several times on the program from 1999-2000.

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Research Themes

Dr. Nicol's research falls under the topic of theoretical condensed matter physics and quantum materials. Key areas of focus are currently:

1. High temperature superconductivity. Superconductors are materials that carry a perfect current at very low temperatures. These materials are used in technological applications, such as MRI machines, quantum computers, MAGLEV trains, and power transmission. Dr. Nicol is an expert on the BCS-Eliashberg theory of superconductivity, used to predict the properties of low temperature conventional superconductors. She is currently interested in high temperature superconductivity, found in cuprate materials and pressurized hydrides. Finding practical superconductivity close to room temperature would dramatically improve the opportunity for technological applications.
2. Dirac materials. In 2004, graphene, a two-dimensional crystal of carbon atoms, was isolated for the first time by scientists in the UK. This material has been discovered to have exotic properties with many potential technological applications. Unusual quantum physics underpins this behaviour. Dr. Nicol started working in this area in 2007, and the field has since broadened to the study of two- and three-dimensional materials with similar quantum physics, now referred to as Dirac materials. Dr. Nicol's primary focus has been on studying various models for Dirac systems with an emphasis on calculations of properties that may be measured in experiments.

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Highlights

• NSERC Discovery Grant, 1994-present
• McMaster University Alumni Gallery Inductee, 2003
• Premier's Research Excellence Award, Province of Ontario, 2000-2005
• Cottrell Scholar of Research Corporation, USA, 1997-2002
• John Charles Polanyi Prize in Physics, Province of Ontario, 1994
• NSERC Women's Faculty Award, University of Guelph, 1994-1999
• NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1992-1994