February 28, 2006 Source: University of Toronto:
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/060228-2090.asp Two researchers receive Sloan Fellowships Physicist, computer scientist tapped for two-year prize
Feb 28/06
by Nicolle Wahl (about) (email) Two young U of T faculty members have won prestigious U.S.-based Sloan Research Fellowships. Professors Aaron Hertzmann of computer science and Arun Paramekanti of physics join an esteemed group of winners for 2006, most of whom hail from U.S. universities including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University and the University of California at Berkeley. Hertzmann, who in 2004 was listed as one of the 100 top young innovators under 35 by MIT’s Technology Review magazine, is exploring various aspects of computer graphics, computer vision and machine learning. His work focuses on topics such as character animation, visual tracking, reconstruction and rotoscoping, image processing and texture synthesis, non-photorealistic rendering and machine learning algorithms and applications. "The Sloan Fellowship gives me flexibility to pay for resources that are important to research but difficult to fund with government money," Hertzmann said. Paramekanti is examining the complex field of theoretical quantum condensed matter physics, particularly strongly correlated superfluids, superconductors and quantum magnets. He has also explored fields such as high-temperature superconductivity, Bosonic supersolids and the physics of fractionalization. "It was very exciting to hear the news," Paramekanti said. "I feel honoured to be chosen for the award from among so many outstanding candidates across North America. The unconditional research support provided by the fellowship will be an invaluable resource and I will strive to carry out even more significant work as a Sloan Fellow." The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation of New York awards 116 fellowships annually to the very best young faculty members in seven specified fields of science: chemistry, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience and physics. Only eight fellowships were awarded this year to researchers at Canadian universities. The two-year fellowships come with a U.S. $45,000 award that can be used for equipment, technical assistance, professional travel, trainee support or any other research-related activity. "We are delighted that two of our outstanding faculty members have received this prestigious international recognition," said Professor John Challis, vice-president (research) and associate provost. "The fact that young scientists from the University of Toronto have again been the recipients of Sloan Fellowships underscores that U of T is acknowledged as one of North America’s finest research and teaching universities." The Sloan Research Fellowships, the oldest program of the Sloan Foundation, were established in 1955 to provide support and recognition to young scientists. These researchers are often in their first appointments to university faculties and are working to set up laboratories and establish independent research projects.
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