Physics Mentorship Program
The 2022-23 Physics Mentorship program closing event took place on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. The event was held in-person and was attended by Mentors and Mentees.
The program had 54 pairs of Mentors and Mentees participate, with meetings throughout the academic year (both in-person and online).
Selected mentee comments:
"I gained specific knowledge pertaining to grad school choices, the difference between business/industry and academia, and advice for navigating interactions with administrators. I also learned about the intricacies of grant writing and what a career in academia looks like."
"I gained insight into what working in the field of physics sort of looks like and how the hiring process works. I learned about how to make my resume better and what employers look for in a person they're hiring."
"It is such a valuable opportunity for me to get in touch with an expert for learning and planning my future career path. I feel like I have accumulated lots of crucial points for getting in touch with the professors and doing research."
Selected mentor comments when asked what they liked best about the program:
"Getting to know a great, smart, engaging student and perhaps being able to help them a little bit."
More information on the Physics Mentorship Program can be found here: https://www.physics.utoronto.ca/undergraduate/physics-career/mentorship/
physCAP Careers Outside Academia
The 2022-23 PhysCAP Careers Outside Academia event was held on Thursday, March 2, 2023. Upper-year students attended a panel discussion by physics alumni who have pursued careers outside academia. Students learned about career opportunities relevant to their degrees in physics and about the skills that employers value. The event featured a diverse group of speakers who shared their personal stories and described the paths they had taken over the years and how their trajectories had shifted from their original plans.
2023 Alumni Panelists:
Jaclyn Marcil
Specialty Tax Analyst - Research and Development
HBSc (2016) - Mathematics and Physics
Jaclyn's love for physics is a natural consequence of her love for math, and began while taking grade 12 physics. During her undergrad, she realized that a future in academia wasn't for her, and taught high school math and sciences for a while before turning to the private sector. She now works in research & development specialty tax, where she assists clients in applying for scientific research and experimental development tax credits. Jaclyn's favourite thing about her job is learning about innovative projects happening in Canada right now, ranging from AI assistant robots to automated vertical hydroponics.
Julius Lindsay
Director, Sustainable Communities, David Suzuki Foundation
HBSc (2006) – Mathematics and Physics
Julius Lindsay (he/him) | LinkedIn
Julius is currently working as a Director of Sustainable Communities at the David Suzuki Foundation. He leads the Foundation’s work to accelerate and raise the ambition of climate action in cities across the place now known as Canada. He is also a co-founder of the Black Environmentalist Alliance, an organization that seeks to champion black people in the environmental profession, provide a safe space for peer-to-peer engagement to have real conversations and share experiences, and to advocate for environmental justice for Black Canadians now and in the future. Prior to these two roles, he has been a catalyst for and led the development of climate change plans, programs, and policies at two of the biggest cities, Mississauga and Richmond Hill, in Ontario.
Lucas Durand
VP, Data Science Engineering
HBSc (2013) – Physics & Philosophy (Specialist), University of Toronto
MSc (2016) – Theoretical Physics, York University
Lucas Durand leads the Data Science Engineering team in TD Securities, and is the Product Owner for TDS Notebooks, the TD Securities analytics platform. The team brings together data scientists and technologists to build services and tools that empower users at a variety of capabilities. Lucas has been with TD for upwards of 6 years in increasingly senior roles. He spent his first 2 years rotating between Quant + Software Engineering teams as part of the TD Technology Associate Program before joining the Data Science team as their first Notebook Engineer. Over the next few years, Lucas built and grew the TDS Notebooks Platform, championed Python as a first-class language in the dealer, and learned a lot about the power of outsiders in the industry. He is a passionate teacher, avid musician, and tech enthusiast!
Peter Hurley
CAO, Department of Physics
BSc (1979) – Physics, University of Toronto
MSc (1983) – Geophysics, University of Toronto
Peter enrolled as an undergraduate physics student at UofT in 1975 and has been here ever since. After completing a M.Sc. in applied geophysics, he spent 10 years in geophysics research and development. Part of that time was spent with Atomic Energy of Canada, and some as an entrepreneur, but Peter continued to work with UofT collaborators throughout, and maintained an office here. In 1991 he was asked to help the Physics Department restructure its technical services operations and was later hired as the Manager of Technical Services. In 2009 his roll was expanded to include operational management of the Physics Learning Services, and he has been the Chief Administrative Officer since 2014. Along the way, Peter has become licensed as an engineer, certified as a teacher, and has completed a M.Ed. in Theory and Policy Studies in Higher Education.
