Bill Whelan is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) and in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Atlantic Veterinary College. He was a Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Optics at UPEI and chair of the Department of Physics. His research has focused on the development of optical sensors, photoacoustic imaging and laser therapies for the detection and treatment of cancers.
Bill is currently past president of the Canadian Association of Physicists and co-chair of the PEI Education Minister’s Advisory Council on Lifelong Learning. He is actively involved in science promotion, including as co-chair of the PEI Science Fair since 2008 and co-chair of the Canada-Wide Science Fair in 2012. Bill is a founding director of STEAM PEI, a non-profit organization delivering school-based and community programs for youth to explore STEM fields with the Arts. He has also served as president of the PEI Division of the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and as a director on the national CCS board. For contributions to education and science promotion, he has received the Distinguished Service Award from Youth Science Canada, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals and the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.