News: Microelectronics
26 November 2025
University of Waterloo’s Dr Lan Wei awarded Canada Research Chair
Four researchers at the University of Waterloo have been awarded $3.95m in funding to support their research as part of the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program.
This year, the CRC program is investing more than $198m to support new and renewed chairholders. Through the program, up to $311m each year is invested to attract and retain accomplished and promising academics.
Picture: Dr Lan Wei.
The announcement was made by the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.
Joining a network of chairholders working across the university’s six faculties, Waterloo’s newest CRC awardees include the Faculty of Engineering’s Dr Lan Wei, who gains $500,000 (CRC) + $100,000 (Federal Research Fund) in a tier-2 NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) CRC in Nanoscale Devices and Circuits.
With wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors — particularly gallium nitride (GaN) — emerging as a leading material, Lan Wei will build on her research expertise and experience translating semiconductor devices and integrated circuit innovation to industry.
Leveraging collaborations and the University of Waterloo’s facilities, her research aims to meet the demanding needs of commercial and industrial applications, such as more reliable wireless communication in harsh environments for aerospace, medical imaging, oil drilling, and efficient power management for fast chargers, electric vehicles and data centers.
Beyond WBG, Wei is also pioneering advancements in cryogenic semiconductor and quantum technology to enable the next generation of large-scale quantum computers.
