Person attributes
Academic attributes
Dr. Wilkinson graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1978, in Chemical Engineering and received his professional engineering status (P.Eng.) two years later. Prior to doing his Ph.D., Dr. Wilkinson worked at Ultra Energy, Inc., (became Ballard Research) as a research engineer investigating primary and secondary Li / SO2 battery technology. From 1977 to 1980 he competed internationally for Canada as a member of the Canadian National Rowing Team. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa in 1987, in Electrochemistry (Physical Chemistry) where his graduate work was done with the preeminent electrochemist Dr. Brian Conway on proton donor and medium effects in electrochemical proton discharge. Dr. Wilkinson was a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) scholar, an Ontario scholar, and an Electrochemical Society Summer Fellow during his Ph.D. term.
Dr. Wilkinson has made significant contributions in the areas of electrochemistry, electro-chemical engineering, battery and fuel cell technology, and has over 80 issued patents and over 225 refereed publications (other publications include 1 co-authored book, 6 edited books and 8 book chapters) covering innovative developments in these fields. He has been recognized by Thomson Reuters as one of the most highly cited global researchers ranking among the top 1% most cited for their subject field indicating exceptional international impact. He has also been a keynote or plenary speaker at many international conferences, and a member of several university, industrial, government, and journal advisory boards. He is currently Associate Editor for the journal "Electrochemical Energy Reviews" (Springer) and an Editorial Board Member for the journal "Electrocatalysis" (Springer). Dr. Wilkinson has received a number of awards for his innovative work including the R.A. McLachlan Memorial award (the highest professional engineering award in the Province of British Columbia (APEGBC), the R.S. Jane Memorial Award (the highest award for chemical engineering in Canada), the Electrochemical Society Battery Division Technology Award (international) for work related to rechargeable Li batteries and polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Association (CHFCA),the Grove Medal (international) for contributions to fuel cells, the National Partners in Research (PIR)Technology Ambassador Award for outstanding career research and outreach, the Brentwood College Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Deans Medal of Distinction and Killam Research Award at UBC. Dr. Wilkinson is a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Chemical Institute of Canada, and the Royal Society of Canada.
