Clay Riddell Centre for Quantum Matter launching after $10-million donation for Perimeter Institute hub

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A Waterloo research hub launching as a place for scientists to accelerate discovery of one of the fastest-growing fields in physics will soon bear the name of its most charitable donor.

The Perimeter Institute is opening the Clay Riddell Centre for Quantum Matter after a $10-million donation from the Riddell Family Charitable Foundation, in honour of the late Calgary philanthropist, Clay Riddell.

The donation is part of a 10-year, $25-million investment into quantum matter research.

“My father truly loved science. He always wanted to understand how things worked and how he could use that understanding to better things in the world,” said Jim Riddell, the son of the new Centre’s namesake, in a statement.

“He obviously didn’t expect to see the results of this investment in his lifetime, but he was excited about its potential impact for Canada and the world.”

During his life, Riddell gave significant donations to Calgary health, educational and children’s charities and his philanthropy has continued after his death on Sept. 15, 2018.

In Calgary, the Vi Riddell Children’s Pain and Rehabilitation Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital was opened following a $15-million donation and he raised $16 million through a fundraising drive for Ronald McDonald House.

Mount Royal University’s Riddell Library and Learning Centre also bears his name, and he was also a driving force behind the Shaw Charity Classic.

Riddell broadened his philanthropy outside of Calgary with multimillion-dollar gifts to the University of Manitoba and Carleton University. And in 2008, he was honoured with the Order of Canada for his leadership and philanthropy.

The partnership with Perimeter Institute was made before Riddell died in 2018 and is meant to create a space for scientists to harness the intrinsic properties of quantum mechanics to understand and uncover new states of matter.

It was anticipated to be a high-impact investment for humanity, according to Sue Riddell Rose, one of Riddell’s three daughters and the president of the charitable foundation.

“Clay was incredibly excited to discover that we have a true gem like the Perimeter Institute in Canada. He was attracted to just how purposeful Perimeter is about developing a pipeline of talent, and to the humility of the researchers as they seek answers to the universe’s biggest questions,” she said.

Quantum matter is one of the most promising and productive areas in fundamental physics research, according to Perimeter’s director, Robert Myers.

“The field is not only accelerating significantly but also converging toward a rich nexus, ranging from condensed matter physics and quantum information to quantum gravity and string theory,” said Myers.

This is the second research hub to launch at Perimeter and is joining the Centre for the Universe that was launched three years ago to research the toughest unknowns facing cosmology.

The Clay Riddell Centre for Quantum Matter officially launched in a virtual presentation on Thursday. It is expected to draw international attention as a space for cutting-edge conferences, scientific collaboration and enhance Canada’s role as a leader in quantum matter research.

“Quantum matter is an area that is primed to produce breakthroughs in the next decade,” said Myers.

“It has the potential to revolutionize everything from transportation to medical diagnostics to smart energy grids.”

Canada’s Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains said in a statement that the government is proud to support quantum research, which is one of Canada’s research strengths.

“With the launch of the Clay Riddell Centre for Quantum Matter at Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Canada will be able to attract even more talent, expertise, and leadership in this transformational area of discovery,” said Bains.

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