News - Trottier Space Institute at McGill

CASCA 2026 Student Award Winners

Jun 13, 2026, CASCA e-News

TSI graduate student Sarah Silverman won the Student Award for Best Oral Presentation at the 2026 CASCA Science Meeting for her talk titled "The Fate of Ice Sheets on Chaotically Rotating Exoplanets". This award was given by the CASCA Board and recognizes Sarah for her exceptional research contributions during the 2026 CASCA Science Meeting at Université de Montréal.

Faculty of Science announces appointment of four department chairs

Jun 3, 2026, McGill Faculty of Science

Prof. Huang joined McGill’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences in 2011 and became a Full Professor in 2025. A member of the Trottier Space Institute, Huang and his Atmospheric Radiation Group use satellite remote sensing and numerical modeling to better understand how atmospheric radiation affects climate and weather variations. He succeeds Prof. Andreas Zeund as Chair of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

Adrian Liu receives the 2026 Carrie M. Derick Award for Graduate Teaching and Supervision

Jun 2, 2026, McGill Faculty of Science

Congratulations to Adrian Liu (Physics), who received the 2026 Carrie M. Derick Award for Graduate Teaching and Supervision! The Carrie M. Derick Award for Graduate Supervision and Teaching, awarded by the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, acknowledges outstanding contributions to promoting graduate student excellence through supervision and teaching by a faculty member who has been supervising for 10 years or less.

Dr. Bridget Andersen awarded the 2026 Yablonovitch Research Prize

Jun 2, 2026, McGill Faculty of Science

Congratulations to Dr. Bridget Andersen, who has received the 2026 Yablonovitch Research Prize! The prize, established in 2022 by Eli Yablonovitch, BSc 1967, DSc 2018, and Karen Yablonovitch, is awarded annually by the Faculty of Science at convocation to a graduate student enrolled in the Faculty of Science who has achieved the best research accomplishment in experimental physics. This award recognizes Dr. Andersen's thesis work: New techniques for unveiling the radio transient sky with the CHIME telescope.

New Appointments to IAS Board of Trustees

May 27, 2026, IAS Press Release

The Institute for Advanced Study—a leading, independent center for theoretical research and discovery located in Princeton, NJ—has appointed astrophysicist Victoria “Vicky” Kaspi, attorney Kevin L. MacMillan, and economist and finance executive Peter Orszag to its Board of Trustees. MacMillan’s appointment was unanimously adopted by the Board on October 25, 2025, while Kaspi and Orszag were appointed with universal approval on May 2, 2026.

Adrian Liu awarded 2026 CAP Medal for Excellence in Teaching Undergraduate Physics Award

May 27, 2026, McGill Research and Innovation

Adrian Liu, William Dawson Scholar and Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and the Trottier Space Institute, has been awarded the 2026 Canadian Association of Physics (CAP) Medal for Excellence in Teaching Undergraduate Physics, announced yesterday. Liu was recognized by CAP for his “exceptional and sustained contributions as an educator, mentor, and leader in building inclusive and high-impact learning environments.”

TSI Postdoc Amanda Cook wins 2026 President’s Prize for Public Engagement Through Media

May 8, 2026, McGill Reporter

Amanda Cook, a Banting postdoctoral fellow and member of the CHIME/FRB Collaboration, won the Prize for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows for her leadership in co-ordinating a complex, multi-institutional publicity campaign for a major CHIME Fast Radio Burst discovery, while simultaneously writing the discovery paper.

From Planets to Particles: An Exploration Mini-Fair

Apr 9, 2026,

Are you interested in the mysteries of our planet and beyond? As part of 24 Hours of Science , McGill Physics Outreach and TSI Outreach are joining forces to host “From Planets to Particles: An Exploration Mini-Fair”. Join us on Sat., May 2, 2026 between 10 pm to 4 pm in the Rutherford Physics Building on the McGill campus for hands-on activities and demos about gravity, life on other planets, energy, planetary systems, and more! We'll also set up telescopes for some solar observing, weather permitting. Activities are geared towards kids ages 5 -12, but younger and older siblings (and parents!) are welcome.

Ten McGill research projects receive $42 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation

Mar 13, 2026, McGill Reporter

Jason Hessels, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Transient Astrophysics and Professor of Physics, and Victoria Kaspi, Lorne Trottier Chair in Astrophysics and Cosmology, Distinguished James McGill Chair and Director of the Trottier Space Institute at McGill, will use $13.6 million in total funding to open a new window on the universe by exploring the “microsecond sky.”

Siva Reddy and Katelin Schutz win 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships

Feb 17, 2026, McGill Reporter

Professor Katelin Schutz (Physics), along with Professor Siva Reddy (Computer Science and Linguistics) has been named a 2026 Sloan Research Fellows. A member of McGill’s Trottier Space Institute, Schutz studies some of the largest structures in the universe in order to better understand the smallest building blocks of matter.