The only academic accomplishment more praiseworthy than Roderick Wasylishen's vast body of work in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is his style of doing research.
Referred to endearingly as "The Wasylishen Way," his approach is described by one colleague as "marked by elegance, pursuit of fundamental questions and thoroughness … an ideal example for the rest of the community of researchers."
This is high acclaim for a chemistry pioneer who is responsible for revolutionizing the ways scientists use NMR spectroscopy to characterize materials.
"Collaboration is essential in solving problems," said Wasylishen, who was recently honoured with a 2013 J. Gordin Kaplan Award for Excellence in Research. «If everyone just works on their own and never tries to utilize all of the techniques and tricks available, their research won't have the impact that it otherwise would."
Wasylishen's willingness to share his research techniques also influences his teaching. Of the many researchers he has trained, two have been awarded Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Doctoral Prizes, of which only four are given out across Canada per year, nine hold academic positions and five are facility managers at Canadian universities.
"For me, that is what the fun is-interacting with students and trying to understand materials better, understand the universe better," he said. "A lot of students are not willing to dig in their heels and pursue this kind of research, but the ones who have are fortunate and happy that they did. It is a very interesting area to work in."
Similar to an MRI, which allows physicians to observe the structure of the organs inside the body, NMR gives researchers the ability to determine the structure of molecules whose size is a billion times smaller.
Traditionally, researchers use NMR spectroscopy to study the hydrogen and carbon nuclei in of molecules in liquids. However, Wasylishen, a leader of the U of A's Solid-State NMR Group and a Canada Research Chair in Physical Chemistry, has helped devise ways of applying NMR techniques to characterize "everything under the sun."
Jonathan Schaeffer, dean of the Faculty of Science, who wrote in support of Wasylishen's Kaplan nomination, said Wasylishen's innovative application of NMR techniques to image and monitor water in hydrogen fuel cells is a significant breakthrough in understanding how to optimize fuel-cell efficiency, and brings the fuel-cell industry one step closer to replacing fossil-fuel-powered engines.
"Wasylishen is influential and has significantly impacted how others conduct science and forced entire disciplines to fundamentally rethink basic theory and long-held assumptions," he wrote.
Schaeffer added attracting Wasylishen 12 years ago was a major coup, and his impact on the U of A has been dramatic and immediate.
"When he arrived in this department, its sub-discipline of physical chemistry was in desperate need of leadership and was attracting very few graduate students. He has provided the necessary leadership that over the first few years has re-established this group as a research force nationally and internationally."
Wasylishen, who adds the Kaplan award to an already crowded showcase that includes, among others, being named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and receiving a 2007 Killam Annual Professorship Award, says none of it would have been possible without the support of the full spectrum of the university's research community.
"The University of Alberta has provided me an exceptional environment to carry out my research, for which I am extremely grateful," said Wasylishen, who, besides crediting colleagues and student researchers, singled out the work done by the chemistry department's support staff.
"I worked with (chemistry professor) Steve Bergens on the fuel-cell project, and to build a fuel cell to fit in our NMR probe would just not have been possible where I've been before," he said. "If you don't have this kind of support for your basic research, you end up doing more routine things rather than the really innovative stuff. It's part of the reason we like to think we are among the top three chemistry departments in the country."