Trent University graduate Dr. Ian Affleck, an international leader in developing the theory of strongly correlated systems, will receive a special honour at the 2014 Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) Congress at Laurentian University in Sudbury on Thursday, June 19, 2014.

Dr. Affleck, who is currently a professor of Physics at the University of British Columbia (UBC), will receive the 2014 CAP/DCMMP Brockhouse Medal, awarded by CAP and the Division of Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (DCMMP) in recognition of outstanding experimental or theoretical contributions to condensed matter and materials physics. Professor Affleck was selected for his original and influential contributions to the theory of condensed matter systems, particularly in the application of conformal field theory techniques to the Kondo effects and quantum impurity problems and advances in the theory of quantum magnetism in low dimensions.

Dr. Alan Slavin, professor emeritus of physics at Trent, applauded Prof. Affleck and commented that such acclaim for a graduate from Trent is a strong motivator for current Trent physics students. “This may help them realize that their Trent education can open the door to their dreams,” he said.

“Ian Affleck has not only won most of the relevant awards from the Canadian Association of Physicists, he has also been recognized internationally as a fellow of the American Physical Society, a fellow of the Royal Society (London) and a winner of the Onsager Prize from the American Physical Society,” Dr. Slavin added.  

Prof. Affleck graduated from Trent with a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics in 1975. Throughout his career, he has helped to introduce important theoretical techniques and concepts into the field while also directly interpreting and inspiring experimental work.

Reflecting on his time as an undergraduate, Prof. Affleck says his experience at Trent was instrumental in his career choice. “I was enthusiastic about science,” Prof. Affleck said. “It was (at Trent) that I decided to pursue a career in physics.”

Although he was born in Vancouver, Prof. Affleck grew up in Ontario. It was initially the small class sizes that convinced him to attend Trent, but there was more than academic life to keep him there. “I did a lot of growing up at Trent and met my future wife there,” he said.

He returned to Trent in 1998 to accept an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, and in 2012, Prof. Affleck received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the Trent University Alumni Association.

Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2014.