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OTTAWA, June 25, 2010  —  Professors Louis Barriault and Kirill Zaynullin, both researchers at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Science, will share $240,000 for projects in chemistry and mathematics under the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s (NSERC) Discovery Accelerator Supplements Program (DAS).

Louis Barriault, from the Department of Chemistry, is on the cutting edge of organic chemistry research. Using two organic synthesis concepts, domino reactions and gold catalysis, Professor Barriault's research will develop powerful processes for the efficient and sustainable synthesis of molecules that could have important applications in medicine.

Kirill Zaynullin, from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, received the accelerator grant for a project titled Algebraic cycles on homogeneous varieties. He will focus on novel algorithms that enable the calculation of various properties characterized by geometry and space. The algorithms will have applications in mathematical physics, computer algebra, cryptography and algebraic geometry.

The DAS Program provides substantial resources to researchers who show strong potential to become international leaders in their respective area of research. NSERC is a federal agency whose vision is to help make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for the benefit of all Canadians.

The University of Ottawa, one of Canada’s top research-intensive universities, is committed to excellence and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation that attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world.