The New Brunswick Innovation Foundation has announced the keynote speakers at its R3 2020 gala will be Jeff Dahn, the NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research Chair at Dalhousie University, and Vincenzo Guida, research fellow for Procter & Gamble.

First held 11 years ago, R3 is a biennial event that recognizes leaders in applied research at New Brunswick universities and research institutions. NBIF holds the event in the years when it does not hold Breakthru, the biennial competition for startups.

“The calibre of these speakers underlines NBIF’s growing profile as a research partner and investor,” said NBIF Director of Research Laura Richard. “Prof. Dahn and Dr. Guida are both highly accomplished researchers, and we think their expertise and experience will be of significant interest to our event attendees.”

The R3 gala will take place April 2 at the Fredericton Convention Centre, and tickets can be purchased here. The event will feature a formal R3 luncheon to honour New Brunswick’s Top 25 Star Mentors – those from the province’s colleges and universities who have done an exemplary job of training the next generation of researchers.

Jeff Dahn is a research pioneer of lithium-ion batteries and has held a research chair position at Dalhousie University since 1996. In 2016, he began a research partnership with Tesla Motors as the NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research Chair. His group is focused on improving lithium-ion cells through increased energy density and battery life, along with reduced costs.

His lithium-ion battery research has received numerous awards, including a Governor General’s Innovation Award in 2016 and the Gerhard Herzberg Gold Medal in Science and Engineering, Canada’s top science prize, in 2017.

Vincenzo Guida’s projects have run the innovation gamut, from early stage to market implementation. With particular expertise in bleach chemistry and surfactant science, he has developed the manufacturing process for many new innovative and sustainable products in the fabric and home arenas.

He has authored more than 50 publications, including patents and articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and spoken at physics and engineering conferences around the world.