WATERLOO - When Robert Myers first joined Perimeter Institute almost 20 years ago, it existed only in Mike Lazaridis' head, and the technology that would fund its creation - the BlackBerry - looked like a high-tech pager.

Today, Perimeter has grown into a leading hub for theoretical physics, attracting and training some of the brightest young scientist from around the world.

On Thursday, Myers was celebrated as the new director of the institute that started as an "audacious" idea Lazaridis sketched out over breakfast at an UpTown Waterloo diner two decades ago.

"I went home and two days later, I found myself emailing back to say 'I'm in,'" he told a packed house at Perimeter, speaking in front of a blackboard filled with chalk algorithms.

Myers, who quit a tenured position at McGill to come to Waterloo, became one of the founding faculty members of Perimeter before it even had an office to call home. The next two decades saw incredible growth, training more than 1,000 scientists and drawing the support of the late Stephen Hawking - who called Perimeter "one of the world's leading centres for theoretical physics."

But the new director said he's more excited about what lies ahead, not looking back.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime," Myers said, after his appointment to replace outgoing director Neil Turok was made public.

"We're going to keep building on the momentum we have, and I think the next 20 years is going to be even more exciting."

Myers, the son of a Dutch immigrant and a biochemist from northern Ontario, talked about the appeal of leading an institute that has helped put Waterloo on the map in global physics research.

"(Lazaridis) saw it as an investment in our future, one where Canada could lead the world," Myers said. "I was struck by the simplicity, the clarity, the audacity of Mike's vision."

Twenty years ago, Lazaridis told Myers the BlackBerry was based on breakthroughs that happened more than 50 years earlier. He wanted to create a new institute that could help make the building blocks for the technology yet to be dreamed up, based on ideas like quantum theory, electromagnetism and condensed matter.

"They were trying to get a glimpse into the inner workings of Mother Nature," Myers said. "Mike's question was about the next breakthroughs, the ones that will shape the lives of our grandchildren, and our grandchildren's grandchildren."

Lazaridis praised Myers as "the beating heart of Perimeter" and a "giant" of a scientist.

"We are thrilled to move into the next exciting phase of Perimeter's evolution under Rob Myers' leadership," said Lazaridis, who still chairs the institute's board of directors.

"Rob's contributions as a scientist are second to none. He is highly respected throughout the global physics community, and he possesses the drive and vision to advance Perimeter at a particularly exciting time in the history of the Institute and of physics more generally."

Myers will also hold the Bank of Montreal Financial Group Isaac Newton Chair in Theoretical Physics, supported by a $4 million donations made by BMO Financial Group in 2011.

His research focuses on basic questions in quantum theory and gravity. His contributions span a broad range, from quantum field theory to gravitational physics, black holes, and cosmology. Several of his discoveries, such as the "Myers effect" and "linear dilaton cosmology" have been influential in creating new lines of research.

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Originally from Deep River, Ontario, Myers earned his PhD from Princeton and held positions at the University of California and McGill University before joining Perimeter in 2001.

Turok, the outgoing director, called the past 10 years "the adventure of a lifetime." He'll remain at Perimeter as director emeritus and a full-time researcher leading the Institute's new cosmology research hub, the Centre for the Universe at Perimeter Institute.

"It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve as Perimeter's director for the past decade and to work with so many wonderful colleagues to build a unique centre for basic research, training, and public engagement," Turok said.

"Rob is the perfect choice to lead Perimeter into the future. He has been my closest adviser throughout my time as director, and I am delighted to remain at Perimeter as a researcher with him charting the course for the institute."

Myers said Perimeter's recipe - combine brilliant people, bold ideas, and diverse cultures - will lead to breakthroughs that he hopes will help spark the technology of tomorrow.

He challenged his colleagues to embrace the ideals that Perimeter was founded on, back when it was just a "crazy" idea in Lazaridis' head.

"Be bold, be adventurous, be audacious in our aspirations to advance humanity through exceptional science," he said.

"I'd like us all to take on that quality which helped Perimeter's previous directors bring the institute so far in such a short time. Namely, to not be intimidated by the impossible, but rather be determined to make it a reality."

gmercer@therecord.com

Twitter: @MercerRecord

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