Adam Sarty
Faculty of Science
Astronomy and Physics
Dean, Graduate Studies and Research
Associate Vice-President, Research
Office: Atrium 210
Phone: 902-496-8169
Email: adam.sarty@smu.ca
Dr. Sarty holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics and a Ph.D. in experimental nuclear physics from the University of Saskatchewan. He was a postdoc at the Laboratory for Nuclear Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and then spent five years as an Assistant Professor at Florida State University before joining the Faculty of Science at Saint Mary’s in 2000. Prior to assuming his current role in 2017, he served as Associate Dean of Science for 7 years, responsible for Curriculum, Student Affairs, and Outreach. Dr. Sarty’s enthusiasm for his continued research into the structure of the nucleon and light nuclei has been matched only by his passion for teaching and science outreach. Over the years, his teaching excellence and commitment to educational development has been recognized with various awards, including the Medal for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from the Canadian Association of Physicists, the Science Champion Discovery Award from Halifax’s Discovery Centre, Volunteer of the Year recognitions from the Province of Nova Scotia and the Halifax Regional Municipality, the Educational Leadership Award from the Atlantic Association of Universities, and a 3M National Teaching Fellowship. To further his goal of communicating science, Dr. Sarty has spent many years engaging in community presentations about physics to groups ranging from preschool to high-school age and beyond. He also co-chairs and organizes the annual Halifax regional science fair, and has chaired or served on numerous Boards and Committees related to the promotion and administration of Science and other academic initiatives. Some positions in which Dr. Sarty has recently served, or is currently serving, in this area include: President of the Canadian Association of Physicists, Chair of the CAP Division of Physics Education, Chair of the NSERC Scholarship & Fellowships Committee for Physics and Astronomy, the Canadian Institute of Nuclear Physics, TRIUMF Board of Management, Halifax’s Discovery Centre Board of Directors, and the Chair and Judging Coordinator for the Discovery Awards for Science and Technology. In his current role as SMU’s AVP Research, Sarty also serves as the Chair of the Steering Committee for CLARI (Change Lab Action Research Initiative), the Vice-Chair of Nova Scotia’s Offshore Energy Research Association, as a Board member for ACENET, as an institutional SSHRC and NSERC Leader, as a steering committee member for the Nova Scotia Integrated Health Research Innovation Strategy, and as a member of the Alliance of Canadian Comprehensive Research Universities.