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  • Who We Are

    The Canadian Institute for Neutron Scattering (CINS) is a not-for-profit, voluntary organization that represents the Canadian scientific community of neutron beam users and promotes scientific research using neutron beams.

    ‘Neutron scattering’ is a scientific name for methods of using beams of neutrons to study materials.

    Neutron scattering is a versatile and powerful technique for research on materials of all kinds. Pioneered in Canada in the 1950s, neutron scattering continues to play a valuable role in Canadian science, allowing scientists to explore the structure and dynamics of materials down to atomic length scales. We are proud to continue the tradition of neutron scattering in Canada.

    Our members include individuals and institutions with interest in neutron scattering. Individual members include university faculty, professional scientists and engineers, research technicians, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students.  As of 2016, our membership totaled 370 individuals, including 240 individuals from over 40 Canadian institutions from 8 provinces, including over 60 university departments from 30 universities. The university departments include broad representation from physics, chemistry, life sciences, earth sciences, materials science, and engineering. Our membership also includes 130 individuals from over 70 foreign institutions from 22 countries.

    Our members are engaged in research in engineering materials made of steel and other alloys, bio-mimetic membranes and lipid-based nano-structures, magnetic materials, superconductors, corrosion at interfaces, minerals, and more.

    Role of CINS in the CNBC

    Proposals for beam time at Canadian Neutron Beam Centre (CNBC) are reviewed by an independent committee of experts drawn from CINS members. CINS oversees the proposal review process and it supplies the independent committees of experts from its members. For proprietary research, access is arranged through a simple fee-for-service agreement.

    From 1992 until 2013, user access was supported by research infrastructure grants such as an NSERC Major Resource Support Grant through CINS in order to maintain the CNBC in a state of readiness for access by scientists, and a CFI grant to construct a $2.4M sixth beamline for user access.

  • Objectives

    1. To stimulate and facilitate research by Canadian scientists using neutron beams.
    2. To establish priorities for the development of facilities for neutron scattering in Canada.
    3. To make representations to the appropriate bodies and authorities for the provision of adequate facilities and funding for researchers using neutron beams.
    4. To co-ordinate the formulation of joint or separate proposals for instrumentation and infrastructure for submission to granting agencies.
    5. To administer infrastructure grants that may be awarded for such research, subject to any conditions that may be imposed by the granting agency.
    6. To sponsor schools and workshops that provide theoretical and practical training, and to support travel for scientists located at large distances from the neutron facilities.
    7. To carry out any other activities that would further these objectives.

  • Structure

    CINS is managed by a board of directors, which provides legal responsibility and financial accountability. The board is elected by the member institutions who pay fees to advance CINS’s objectives. The scientific activities of CINS are conducted by a science council, which is elected by the individual members.

    CINS was incorporated on September 11, 1986 under the Canada Corporations Act, and the constitution was fully enacted on January 7, 1987. CINS adopted new bylaws pursuant to the Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act on Oct 26, 2013.

  • Officers

    Board of Directors Name Institution
    Member 1 (2021-2024) Pat Clancy McMaster University
    Member 2 (2022-2025) Young-June Kim University of Toronto
    Member 3 (2021-2024) Michelle Dolgos University of Calgary
    President (2022-2024) Drew Marquardt University of Windsor
    Science Council Name Institution
    President (2022-2024) Drew Marquardt University of Windsor
    Councillor 1 (2021-2024) Sarah Dunsiger TRIUMF/Simon Fraser University
    Councillor 2 (2021-2024) Graham King Canadian Light Source
    Councillor 3 (2021-2024) Andrea Bianchi University of Montreal
    Student Councillor (2021-2024) Yijia Zi McMaster University
  • Institutional Members
    McMaster University (2021-2024)
    University of Windsor (2021-2024)
    Brock University (2021-2024)
    Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (2021-2024)
    University of Calgary (2021-2024)
    Memorial University of Newfoundland (2021-2024)
    TVB Associates Inc. (2021-2024)

    Updated: Oct 18, 2021

  • Documents

    Governing Documents

    Annual General Membership Meeting Minutes

    2016:

    2015:

    2014:

    2013:


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