Canadian Light Source gets new senior executives

Saskatoon, SK – Dr Josef Hormes was recently appointed as the next executive director of the Canadian Light Source (CLS), effective August 15, 2008.

The appointment came after an 18-month international search for the successor to CLS executive director Bill Thomlinson, who retired at the end of June.

Dr Hormes, currently a professor of physics at the University of Bonn, was director of the Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD), a synchrotron at the Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge from 1999 to 2005, where he remains a full professor of research. Prior to that, he was director of the Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory at the University of Bonn, where he was also responsible for technology transfer and university/industry collaborations.

“Professor Hormes’ combination of research expertise and management experience is second to none,” says Peter MacKinnon University of Saskatchewan president. “He is ideally suited to guide Canada’s national synchrotron as it embarks on the next phase of its life as a global leader in innovation and discovery.”

Dr Hormes will also be appointed as a professor in the department of physics and engineering physics at the University of Saskatchewan. He has co-authored over 200 scientific publications and is named on seven patents. Much of his recent research has focused on the study, synthesis and characterization of magnetic particles for applications in cancer treatment and nanotechnology.

“The Canadian Light Source has already developed a reputation for excellence in the synchrotron world, both for the science it is generating and its outstanding service to users from academic institutions and industry,” he says. “I am looking forward to working with the outstanding staff and users from across Canada and around the globe.”

In addition, two other senior appointments were recently made to the facility’s board.

Rafik Loutfy, director of McMaster University’s Xerox Centre for Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation, assumed his duties as chair of CLSI’s board in late June, while Mark Sutton, Ernest Rutherford professor of physics at McGill University, was elected vice chair.

Dr Loutfy, who has served as vice chair since February 2007, succeeds former national science adviser Arthur Carty as chair.

He has over 30 years of experience as a research, development, business and strategic leader with Xerox, where he served in various management positions, culminating with the post of corporate officer and vice president of the Xerox Research Centre of Canada. He is the inaugural holder of the Walter G Booth chair for engineering entrepreneurship and innovation at McMaster, and earned a PhD from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from the University of Toronto.

Professor Mark Sutton has over 25 years of experience as a synchrotron researcher, using X-rays to probe changes in the structure of matter over time, at nanometer length scales and with time resolutions of fractions of a second. He has been involved in the design and construction of experimental facilities at synchrotrons in the United States, and has served on the CLSI board of directors since 2004. He earned his PhD in physics from the University of Toronto.