Who was James Hillier?
Dr. James Hillier was one of Canada’s greatest scientists and inventors. He was the recipient of many honours and awards for his work as an early pioneer in electron microscopy. Dr. Hillier had a Brantford school named in his honour, and along with Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, was named one of the early inductees into the National Inventors Hall of Fame which is now in Akron, Ohio. For further information, please see the James Hillier biography.
Mission Statement
"To preserve the legacy of one of Canada's greatest scientists and inventors and to foster the development of promising young scientists in Brantford and Brant County, Ontario."
The Scholarship
Annually, all the high schools in Brantford / Brant are invited to nominate up to two students for a James Hillier Foundation Scholarship. The students must be intending to pursue a career in scientific research. The scholarship provides up to $5,000 per year over a four year period towards an undergraduate degree. To date, 82 students have received over $1,342,000 in financial support
The Scholarship Fund of the James Hillier Foundation is intended to aid specific students in Brant County. Dr. Hillier had said, "I would probably never have gone to university, if it had not been for a scholarship I received upon graduation from Brantford Collegiate Institute." Dr. Hillier was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Toronto, during the depression in the 1930's and it has been his desire to see others assisted in the same way.