Fundamental Physics and the Future of Mobile Communications

Speaker bio:As President and Co-CEO of Research In Motion (RIM), a company Mr. Lazaridis founded while a student at the University of Waterloo, he is responsible for product strategy, research and development, product development, and manufacturing. RIM are manufacturers of the renowned BlackBerry handheld wireless device, Mr. Lazaridis is also a leader in his community and a passionate advocate for education and scientific research. Mr. Lazaridis is also a long-standing member of the Board of Governors of the University of Waterloo and, in May 2003, was installed as its chancellor. Mr. Lazaridis supports his community and country through generous philanthropic gifts made possible by his success in business. He has donated 50 million dollars to the University of Waterloo to help establish an Institute for Quantum Computing. His most noted gift of 100 million dollars established Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Since its opening in 2001, Perimeter has attracted the attention of the world's scientific community. In 2002, Mr. Lazaridis shared Canada's most prestigious innovation prize, The Ernest C. Manning Principal Award, with RIM colleague Gary Mousseau.