Professor Linda Nazar is a preeminent scientist and global leader in the field of solid-state electrochemistry and energy storage materials research. She currently serves as the Senior Canada Research Chair in Solid State Energy Materials and holds the distinguished position of Distinguished Research Professor of Chemistry at the University of Waterloo, where she is cross-appointed to the Department of Electrical Engineering. Dr. Nazar earned her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia before completing her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Geoffrey Ozin. Following her doctoral studies, she conducted postdoctoral research at Exxon Research and Engineering Company in Annandale, New Jersey, and joined the University of Waterloo faculty in the late 1980s where she shifted her research focus toward electrochemistry and energy storage.
Her groundbreaking research has established fundamental advances in electrochemical energy storage spanning lithium-ion batteries and next-generation systems including lithium-sulfur and lithium-oxygen technologies. Professor Nazar pioneered the demonstration that interwoven composite materials could dramatically improve the energy density of lithium-sulfur batteries, representing a major scientific breakthrough with significant practical implications for sustainable energy storage. She has authored approximately 300 highly influential publications that have received more than 80,000 citations, demonstrating the substantial impact of her work across both academic and industrial research communities. Her contributions to solid-state ionics and battery materials have earned her recognition as one of Clarivate's Most Highly Cited Researchers for nine consecutive years from 2014 to 2023, reflecting her exceptional scholarly influence.
As a Fellow of both the Royal Society of the United Kingdom and the Royal Society of Canada, Professor Nazar has played a pivotal role in shaping global research directions in energy storage through her leadership positions with the Joint Centre for Energy Storage Research in the United States and the BASF Academic Electrochemistry and Battery Network in Germany. Her exceptional contributions have been honored with the prestigious Hughes Medal from the Royal Society, appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada, and the Chemical Institute of Canada Medal, among other distinguished awards. Beyond her research achievements, she has mentored generations of scientists and engineers at the University of Waterloo, fostering talent that continues to advance energy solutions worldwide. Currently, Professor Nazar directs cutting-edge research toward developing innovative materials for magnesium-ion, zinc-ion, and sodium-ion battery systems that promise to overcome current limitations in energy density, safety, and sustainability for next-generation energy storage applications.
