Science and technology

UM physicists shaping the world's next supercollider - and the future of medical technology

Advances could shrink medical imaging and advance precision agriculture.

Man operates electronics.
Estimated Read Time:
3 minutes
Dr. Savino Longo, UM co-lead of the Chiral Belle project.
Dr. Savino Longo, UM co-lead of the Chiral Belle project.
Estimated Read Time:
3 minutes

Physicists at UM are helping build one of the world’s most powerful new particle colliders - curiosity-driven subatomic physics research that could ultimately shrink medical imaging and cancer-treatment technology to reach more patients.

Supported by a $7 million investment from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and Research Manitoba, UM researchers are leading Canada’s contribution to the Electron-Ion Collider, a new international supercollider under construction at Brookhaven National Lab in New York. 

“The accelerator projects led by our team will improve the efficiency and intensity of the Brookhaven collider by hundreds of times, improving access for students right in our backyard,” says Dr. Wouter Deconinck, Associate Professor, Faculty of Science and spokesperson of the EIC Canada Collaboration. “Supercollider projects are so large, they take the support of a global community. This leadership investment gives us a seat at the table in steering the research priorities for years to come.”

A generational investment

With only a handful of colliders active worldwide, UM researchers and students are currently traveling as far as Japan to study advanced physics for AI, machine learning and miniaturized electronics. 

“Achieving the tiny electron collisions we’re looking for is a huge undertaking” says Deconinck. “This generational investment represents decades of dedicated work from experts across Canada.”

The project led by Deconinck includes the UM faculty team Dr. Michael Gericke, Dr. Savino Longo and Dr. Juliette Mammei. Project partners include the U.S. Department of Energy and institutions across Canada including TRIUMF, Mount Allison University, University of Regina and the University of Victoria.

A graphic map.
Rendering of the 3.8km spanning Electron-Ion Collider at Brookhaven.

Improved patient care and precision tools for food and agriculture 

Building capacity for future research across fields like physics, computer science and engineering also means expanded opportunities in manufacturing advanced electronics and improved access for all Canadians. For example, proton therapy facilities for cancer treatment need huge infrastructure that does not currently exist anywhere in Canada.

“This research has the potential to shrink medical treatment technology from the size of a building, to instead fit on the back of a truck,” says Deconinck. “That means instead of patients in Manitoba needing to go to Vancouver, or Toronto or into the United States, the treatment could come to you.”
 

Two men in the lab.
Savino Longo and Wouter Deconinck working together in their UM lab.

Another potential application for this research is in high-precision detectors used in food production. Research using miniaturized sensors to observe water and nutrient intake by plants during growth allowing for precision agriculture, improving yields and heightening the nutritional value of our food.

“Lowering the cost of advanced electronics and growing academic and manufacturing opportunities demonstrates the foundational value of this big science,” says Dr. Mario Pinto, Vice-President (Research and International). “The leadership of Dr. Deconinck reflects the UM strategic priority for the fundamental science informing future advancements in medical treatment and agriculture and food security that matter to all Canadians.”

Other successful CFI – Innovation Fund and Research Manitoba match 2025 projects include:

UM-led projects

Guo-zhen Zhu (Mechanical Engineering) and Mostafa Fayek (Earth Sciences), Renewing Manitoba’s material advantage: Accelerating multidisciplinary research at the Manitoba Institute of Materials, total funding $12,000,000.  

UM co-led projects

Savino Longo, Michael Gericke, Wouter Deconinck and Juliette Mammei (Physics and Astronomy), Chiral Belle: Leveraging new physics through a polarization upgrade of the SuperKEKB particle collider, project led by the University of Victoria in collaboration with the Universities of Manitoba, British Columbia, McGill, and St. Francis Xavier University, total UM funding from CFI $904,552.

Externally-led projects

Gerald Gwinner, (Physics and Astronomy), RadMol: A radioactive molecule lab, project led by the University of British Columbia in collaboration with the Universities of Manitoba, Toronto and Waterloo, total UM funding $1,000,000.

Samar Safi-Harb and Tyrone Woods (Physics and Astronomy), Canadian GRAIN – leading the next frontier in astrophysics, project led by the University of British Columbia in collaboration with the Universities of Manitoba, Montréal, Lethbridge, McGill and Bishop’s University, total UM funding $666,330.  
 

Learn more about this UM project supported through significant in-kind and technical contributions from national and international research laboratories, including TRIUMF, CFI, Research Manitoba, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory and Jefferson Laboratory. These partners contribute specialized personnel, infrastructure, expertise, and facilities essential to the successful delivery of the project.
 

By

Davide Montebruno