Stephen Hawking, the famous international physicist, has been appointed to the post of distinguished research chair at a quantum theory and cosmology institute founded by Research In Motion co-CEO Mike Lazaridis.

The institute issued a statement, in which it was informed that regular stays would be conducted by Hawking at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, starting in the summer of 2009.

University of Cambridge professor informed, "The institute's twin focus, on quantum theory and gravity, is very close to my heart and central to explaining the origin of the universe."

The world know Hawking for his studies of the basic laws that govern the universe. He is also the author of the best-selling book "A Brief History of Time," among others.

Back in 1999, Lazaridis founded the Perimeter Institute and commenced research operations in 2001. The very popular BlackBerry smartphone is made by Waterloo-based RIM.