Prince George, B.C. – Engineering Associate Professor Dr. Thomas Tannert is the latest University of Northern British Columbia faculty member to be named a Canada Research Chair.

Dr. Tannert, who teaches in the Master of Engineering in Integrated Wood Design Program, is the new Canada Research Chair in Hybrid Wood Structures Engineering.

“This new chair will strengthen research excellence in our Wood Engineering program and enable UNBC to attract more outstanding students and post-doctoral research fellows,” says UNBC President Dr. Daniel Weeks. “The Canada Research Chairs Program recognizes the exceptional work Dr. Tannert is undertaking to create local solutions with global impact.”

The Canada Research Chairs Program is a federal initiative to attract and retain exceptional scholars in fields including engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities and social sciences.

Dr. Tannert is seeking to identify challenges and provide solutions to the structural design of tall wood buildings. He will explore many facets of engineering, including seismic performance, the ease of constructability and wood connections.

“This area of research is at the centre of an international movement to put more of an emphasis on wood construction,” Dr. Tannert says. “Discovering innovative ways to use wood is an ideal solution to the challenge of reducing the carbon footprint of buildings.”

Dr. Tannert will conduct his research in the Wood Innovation Research Laboratory, currently under construction in downtown Prince George.

Dr. Tannert also holds the BC Leadership Chair in Tall Wood and Hybrid Structures Engineering. He is one of six current UNBC faculty members who hold Canada Research Chairs.

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