Prize Recipient


Recipient Picture

Wafia Bensalem
Carlton University

Background:

Wafia Bensalem received her PhD from l’Université de Montréal (Montreal, Canada) in theoretical particle physics, in 2003. Wafia had just had her third daughter when she finished her PhD, while her two other children were six and two years old. So, she had to interrupt her researchcareer to take care of her children. Three years later, Wafia started working in Saudi Arabia. She spent nine years teaching at the physics department of Imam University (Riyadh). Moreover, shehad her fourth daughter in Riyadh, in 2009. Although Wafia was happy with her experience in teaching physics, she was very disappointed for not having the opportunity to continue research in theoretical physics. The Blewett Fellowship has enabled Wafia to return to what she likes the most: research. As a postdoc at the department of physics of Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada), she will explore asymmetric dark matter theories, and will focus in dark QCD. Besides the fact that this research could solve the dark matter puzzle, it also could establish a relevant new physic beyond the Standard model.