TRIUMF : Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics

Overview/Profile

TRIUMF is one of the world’s leading subatomic physics laboratories. It brings together dedicated physicists and interdisciplinary talent, sophisticated technical resources, and commercial partners in a way that has established the laboratory as a global model of success. Its large user community is composed of international teams of scientists, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate and undergraduate students. more

Frequently Asked Questions

I've heard TRIUMF scientists work with “beams.” What is a beam?

TRIUMF beams are actually streams of particles moving at high speed. An atom is composed of smaller component particles such as the proton and the electron. Scientists accelerate these sub-atomic particles, so they move very fast; the result is called a beam of particles.

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Strategic Plan & Mission

TRIUMF's mission is: To make discoveries that address the most compelling questions in particle physics, nuclear physics, nuclear medicine, and materials science; To act as Canada’s steward for the advancement of particle accelerators and detection technologies; and to transfer knowledge, train highly skilled personnel, and commercialize research for the economic, social, environmental, and health benefit of all Canadians. more

History

TRIUMF was founded in 1968 by Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia (UBC), and the University of Victoria to meet research needs that no single university could provide. The University of Alberta joined the TRIUMF consortium almost immediately. There are currently seven full members and six associate members from across Canada in the consortium that governs TRIUMF. more

Governance & Organization

TRIUMF is an enterprise that includes on-site technical, engineering, and administrative staff; university researchers and students; private-sector collaborators and licensees; international collaborators; and publicly funded agencies supporting basic research in Canada’s interests. TRIUMF’s organization reflects these multiple stakeholders working together in concert.

More information

• Funding

• Organizational Structure

• Committees

• Board of Management

Research

Over the past decade, TRIUMF’s programs in scientific research, education, and commercialization have enjoyed considerable success—and many have had substantial impact. This section describes those successes. Ultimately, these programs are based on pure research in subatomic physics and exploit the opportunities provided by TRIUMF’s core facilities and its synergy with the university research community. more