We remember a mentor, a friend, a cherished colleague and a prominent figure in Canadian science whose impact and influence was felt around the world.
A humble and kind man, physicist Dr. Ye Tao, who led the Organic Materials and Devices team of the Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre, passed away earlier this summer. He is survived by his wife Scarlett, daughters Laura and Jessie, and 2 grandchildren.
Ye was recognized internationally as a pioneer in organic and printable electronics. His profound impact on these fields spanned a fundamental understanding of the relationship between material structure and device performance to the development and transfer of technologies for multiple industry partners.
He led advances in the field of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)—now used in every smart phone. Ye's team reported world-record efficiencies in organic photovoltaic cells for sustainable energy harvesting and built a unique-to-Canada printing facility to serve the flexible electronics community.
His research focus was to understand the relationship between molecular structure, thin-film morphology and device performance. His efforts over the past 20 years established him as one of the most influential research leaders in Canada in this field.
In his three-decade tenure, Ye secured over 30 patents, published nearly 200 academic papers and was consistently ranked among the most cited scientists at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). He was a recipient of the NRC Centennial Medallion (2018) and the Gold Medal Edison Award (2022) and was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (2021).
Ye was the 2025 recipient of the NRC's highest award, the W.G. Schneider Medal, which was bestowed upon him just before his passing by our President Mitch Davies. This award recognizes an employee who has made an outstanding contribution to the NRC above and beyond the expectations of their job duties and who exemplifies the organization's values.
To his colleagues, Ye was the leader who tirelessly built the Organic and Materials Devices team and its facilities, managing them for 24 years. He was a visionary advocate for scientific excellence at the NRC. Above all, he was a kind and caring man who would support every person in their career and personal development.
Ye mentored and nurtured multiple generations of scientists and technicians. He spared no effort to create opportunities for young researchers to develop their research and leadership skills. He leaves an inspiring legacy of science excellence.
He will be greatly missed by his NRC colleagues. We share our grief with his international network of researchers as well as his family and friends.