Awards
Past winners of the Douglas R. Colton Medal for Research Excellence
2022 Colton Award Winner
Dr. Gabriel Gagnon-Turcotte – Université Laval has been awarded the 2022 Douglas R. Colton Medal for Research Excellence. For his Master’s degree and PhD, Gagnon-Turcotte focused on the development of intelligent optogenetic microsystems applied to the study of brain diseases. This innovation has made it possible to investigate several hypotheses concerning the development of diseases
2021 Colton Award Winner
Dr. Taleana Huff – University of Alberta Dr. Taleana Huff was awarded the 2021 Douglas R. Colton Medal for Research Excellence. For her Master’s degree and her PhD, Huff focused on “Atomic White-Out,” an error correction method for fabricating and patterning quantum dots. The technique gave Huff and the team the ability to successfully build
2020 Colton Award Winner
Dr. Kyle Briggs – University of Ottawa Dr. Briggs co-invented the controlled breakdown method of fabricating solid-state nanopores. These tiny holes are approximately the same size as DNA or typical protein molecules, and allow scientists to study single biomolecules, one at a time. This innovation allows nanopores to be fabricated for a fraction of the cost
2018 Colton Award Winner
Dr. Alphonsus Ng – Univeristy of Toronto Recognized for groundbreaking advancements in the development of digital microfluidics. Dr. Ng’s work has resulted in significant contributions to both boundary-breaking research methods and to infectious disease diagnostics.
2017 Colton Award Winner
Dr. Marc-André Tétrault – Université de Sherbrooke Recognized for his development of a novel, integrated 3D digital detector leading to a new generation of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners.
2016 Colton Award Winner
Dr. Reza Nosrati – Queen’s University Recognized for his development of novel microfluidics and nanotechnologies leading to more effective fertility treatments.
2015 Colton Award Winner
Dr. Amir Sanati-Nezhad – University of Calgary Recognized for his development of tiny, in-vivo-like laboratories-on-a-chip leading to better understanding of diseases, wound healing and cell regeneration.
2014 Colton Award Winner
Dr. Neil Sarkar – University of Waterloo Achievement: Discovery and development of the world’s first single-chip Atomic Force Microscope.
2013 Colton Award Winner
Dr. Muhammad Alam – University of Toronto Recognized for contributions to the development of hybrid plasmonic waveguides and related technologies.
2012 Colton Award Winner
Dr. Xinyu Liu – McGill University Recognized for his development of innovative microbotic and bio MEMS technologies that enable high-throughput, automated manipulation and characterization of single cells for biological and medical applications.
2011 Colton Award Winner
Dr. Leyla Soleymani – University of Toronto Recognized for her development of novel microelectrode arrays for bio-sensing applications that include medical diagnostics and environmental monitoring.
2010 Colton Award Winner
Dr. Adam Kinsman – McMaster University Recognized for his development of new computer-aided methods that enable the design of reliable, cost-effective and high-performance embedded systems.