Umberto Berardi named as Canada Research Chair

Researcher Umberto Berardi has been named as a Canada Research Chair (CRC), a prestigious position given to the country’s top researchers within Canadian post-secondary institutions. The architectural science professor has been named a Tier 2 Chair in Building Science for his five year term. 

The Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS) is home to nine prestigious Canada Research Chairs (CRCs). A federal government initiative, the CRC program is part of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world's top countries in research and development. Tier 2 chairs are tenable for five years and renewable once. They are reserved for exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. For each Tier 2 chair, the institution receives $100,000 annually for five years.

Berardi is developing and testing new, state-of-the art construction materials that will help to reduce the energy demand of buildings and increase their resilience against climate change. Such materials include wall insulation that is similar to what is used in an astronaut’s space suit and coatings for windows that reflect sunlight to keep buildings cool.