Virus hunter, physicist among UBC researchers invested into Order of Canada

UBC researchers Dr. Curtis Suttle and Dr. Walter Hardy are among the members of the UBC community being invested into the Order of Canada this week. The Order is one of our country’s highest civilian honours.

Dr. Suttle, one of the world’s leading marine virologists, currently has active projects examining viruses in extreme environments, as well as studies of natural reservoirs of viral pathogens, the use of viruses as environmental proxies, the isolation and characterization of unusual viruses, the evolution and diversity of viruses and viral communities, and viruses as proxies for life on other planets. He holds a BSc and a PhD from UBC, and has held positions as the Coastal Marine Scholar at the State University of New York and as Associate Professor at the University of Texas. 

Dr. Suttle was invested for "his innovative scholarship in the area of marine virology and for his mentorship of the next generation of scientists."

Dr. Hardy, Professor Emeritus with Physics and Astronomy, built his career as a leading Canadian force in high temperature superconductivity and antihydrogen research. He completed his BSc and PhD degrees at UBC in 1961 and 1965 respectively. After two years as an NRC Postdoctoral Fellow in France and five years working at the Science Centre, North American Rockwell, he returned to UBC in 1971. He has studied many phenomena including gaseous, solid, and spin polarized hydrogen, and (with his collaborators) developed many important applications such as the cryogenic hydrogen maser and superconducting resonators. He has won international recognition for these achievements and received many prizes including the CAP Medal of Achievement in 1993 and the NSERC John C Polanyi Award as part of the ALPHA Collaboration in 2014.

Dr. Hardy was invested for "his pioneering contributions to the fields of particle physics, materials science and high-temperature superconductivity, as a distinguished theorist and experimentalist."

UBC Science affiliated researchers Dr. Pieter Cullis and Dr. Peter Zandstra were also honoured by the Order today—for their contributions to the advancement of biomedical research and drug development, and the field of stem cell bioengineering, respectively. 

Created in 1967, the Order of Canada recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. More than 7,000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order. Appointments are made by the governor general on the recommendation of the advisory council for the Order of Canada. Drs. Hardy and Suttle join at least six other UBC Science Faculty appointed to the Order.