Officer of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: May 3, 2007
• Invested on: April 11, 2008

Paul Corkum is one of Canada's leading experts on lasers and their applications. For more than 30 years, this National Research Council scientist has been developing and advancing concepts needed to understand how intense laser light pulses can be used to study the structure of matter. He is known as the father of the attosecond pulse, which is so rapid that it has allowed him to capture the first image of an electron orbiting an atom. Recognized for his innovative research and for his contribution to physics, he is the recipient of the 2006 Killam Prize for natural sciences and is a member of both the Royal Society of London and the Royal Society of Canada.