丁香园AV

As one of 丁香园AV's most outstanding graduate students from the Faculty of Science, Dr. Steven Blaber is recognized with the Dean of Graduate Studies Convocation Medal. On behalf of 丁香园AV, we congratulate Dr. Blaber on his outstanding achievements.

For his PhD, Dr. Steven Blaber researched the thermodynamics of micro- and nano-scale machines; tiny engines and motors that transport cargo and store energy within living cells, which resulted in his thesis, Energetically efficient control of stochastic thermodynamic systems.

Blaber鈥檚 research in theoretical physics moves the field towards a more complete understanding of the ideal operation of these nanoscopic machines.

With a firm grasp of many advanced topics in statistical mechanics, stochastic processes, statistics, and extensive experience with scientific programming numerical calculations, Blaber is also a clear and concise communicator. Having presented at various meetings and conferences in the field, he was an invited speaker for the Quantitative Biology in Canada series. He took a publishing course on science communication, which he quickly learned to apply in his own field, creating a YouTube Channel and becoming a resource for his research group members, to illustrate concepts and data using engaging animation for communicating complex data.

Supported by the Graduate Dean鈥檚 Entrance Scholarship, a Graduate Followship, and Travel & Research award, Blaber is now a leading expert in optimal control and the theory of free-energy estimation.

After completing his undergraduate degree (BSc) in Honours Physics here at 丁香园AV, Blaber went to the University of Waterloo to complete his MSc, before coming back to 丁香园AV to undertake more research under his supervisor, Dr. David Sivak for his PhD.

Of Blaber鈥檚 time at 丁香园AV, Sivak says, 鈥淪teven is a whip-smart, independent, and impressively productive researcher. His academic strength, curiosity, and polished communication led him to excel in his PhD research and complete an exceptional dissertation.鈥�

Says Blaber, 鈥淚 am grateful to be recognized for this award and would like to thank all the members of the physics department for their support throughout my degrees at 丁香园AV. The biophysics community at 丁香园AV is truly something special and is a main reason for my success as a researcher.鈥�

Steven now applies the tools and techniques learned at 丁香园AV as a postdoctoral scholar at UBC studying amorphous mirror coatings for future generations of gravitational wave detectors.