Dear Physics Community,
It has been a busy summer and start to the fall in the Department, with much to report on, and I look forward to your feedback on the Departmental happenings that will be highlighted in this issue of Interactions.
But first, I want to express my gratitude to the Department for letting me take Research and Study Leave from May to July, to coordinate The Physics of Changing Polar Climate program at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The program featured work on the Physics of the Arctic and Antarctic climate systems across perspectives from the atmospheric, oceanic, and cryospheric sciences. I especially want to thank Prof. Stephen Julian, who stepped in as Acting Chair during this period, did a great job in the Chair’s Office, and (as always) shared wise counsel throughout.
Closer to home, one highlight of the work of the Chair’s Office is the academic year-end review of the activities of our faculty and staff. This regular check-in provides a snapshot of the fascinating scientific research across many areas of Physics we work in, innovations in lecture classes and teaching labs, dedicated service and community outreach of our faculty and staff, and the operational and administrative work of our staff that keep the whole enterprise going. The depth, breadth and productivity of this community is truly impressive. Considering as well the healthy growth of our undergraduate programs and the record number of graduate students admitted this year, the Department is hopping this fall!
We’ve had a significant changing of the guard for Departmental leadership this summer, with Prof. Hae-Young Kee stepping in to replace Prof. Young-June Kim who was in an acting role this year. Also, Prof. Peter Krieger came back as Associate Chair, Undergraduate, since Prof. Pekka Sinervo also rotated off after acting in this role last year. In addition, we have a major administrative transition with Mladen Stojanovic becoming CAO of Physics, as Peter Hurley gets set to retire in the fall after his long service as CAO (more on that to come). Young-June, Pekka, Hae-Young, Peter Krieger, Mladen, and especially Peter Hurley, thank you for your past and prospective service to the Department. You’re a fantastic team who makes it rewarding to come to work each day!
I also want to welcome a couple of other new community members, besides Mladen, including Assistant Professor Valentin Crépel, who has just joined us as a member of the Quantum Condensed Matter Physics group, arriving from the Flatiron Institute in New York City (see <link>his story<link> in this issue ; Gurjit Sandher, who recently joined the machine shop; and Colin Mcurdy, who has joined the Physics Learning Services group.
[Jennifer please provide links to the stories in the following.] Regarding faculty achievements I am excited to share that Prof. Sajeev John has been appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Society of United Kingdom, that Prof. Pekka Sinervo has been appointed a Fellow of the Canadian Association of Physicists, and our latest faculty arrival, Prof. Valentin Crépel, has received the 2025 Blavatnik Regional Award for Young Scientists. We also congratulate Prof. Kent Moore of UTM on his appointment as University Professor and Prof. Dick Bond of CITA on receiving the Shaw Prize in Astronomy for 2025.
Last year, the Chair’s Office focused last year on two major issues. First, the so-called New Budget Model framework in the Faculty of Arts and Science, has increased budget transparency and increased our responsibility for planning and decision making about the Department’s spending, saving, and revenue generation. Second, the McLennan Physics Masterplan Renewal, mentioned in the recent Interactions issues, which is currently assessing the current condition and use of MP Laboratories and will make recommendations to renew our appreciated but aging and stressed facility.
In response to these and related issues, my office will focus in the coming year on initiatives related to Advancement and to Awards, Prizes and Recognitions for our faculty and staff. Regarding Advancement, we are engaging strategically with the Faculty of Arts and Science’s Advancement team to connect with our alumni and other friends for increased support. This will be needed to help us prepare for the coming decades of work in the Department, including in our research labs, graduate program, and facility renewal. Regarding Awards and Recognitions, we have also had assistance from the Faculty of Arts and Science to set up a systematic schedule to pursue prizes, awards, and recognitions for our faculty and staff, with a quarterly review of opportunities. Recognizing all the fantastic work going on in the Department will bring us well-deserved attention and help us remain competitive nationally and internationally. Your ideas about Advancement and Awards and Recognitions of Faculty and Staff are always welcome.
I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Interactions and please keep in touch.
Paul Kushner
Professor and Chair, Department of Physics, University of Toronto