Image: Dr. Alannah Hallas, Principal Investigator, UBC Blusson QMI.

Dr. Alannah Hallas, Principal Investigator at UBC’s Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (UBC Blusson QMI) and Associate Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, has been named a recipient of the 2024 UBC Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship.

Dr. Hallas leads the Quantum Materials Design Lab at UBC Blusson QMI, where her interdisciplinary research focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of new quantum materials. Her team investigates the role of disorder in quantum systems, exploring how it can be controlled and harnessed through innovative crystal growth techniques. Using neutrons, muons, and x-rays, the group examines these materials to gain deeper insights into their structural, magnetic, and electronic properties.

“I am so grateful to have been selected as a recipient of the Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship. The time and resources provided by this fellowship are an amazing opportunity to take on bold and ambitious new directions in my research program,” said Dr. Hallas.

“Over the period of the Killam Fellowship, my group will be developing Canada’s first high pressure synthesis laboratory for quantum materials, exploring the application of machine learning to materials discovery, and working towards making science more accessible and inclusive.”

The annual fellowships support exceptional early-career researchers across all disciplines who demonstrate the potential for significant impact in their fields and are ready to advance to the next stage of their careers.

The fellowship adds to Dr. Hallas’s growing list of accolades, including the 2023 Killam Teaching Prize, a Sloan Research Fellowship (2023–2025), and the IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in Magnetism. She also serves as Co-Director of CIFAR’s Quantum Materials Program.

Up to six UBC Killam Accelerator Research Fellowships are awarded each year. The fellowship includes a one-time research allowance of $50,000 over a two-year term. Teaching time release is a key component, allowing recipients to focus on their research. An additional $60,000 is provided to the recipient’s academic unit to help offset teaching responsibilities during the fellowship period.

Learn more about the Killam Accelerator Research Fellowships here.

UBC Blusson QMI’s Quantum Materials Design Lab