Dear Physics Community,

The signs of spring are slowly but surely arriving and, with them, the chance to reflect on the past six months in my leadership role in this fine department and community. There have been many highlights for me, but three stand out. First, at our November celebration of the great work of outgoing Chair, Prof. Kimberley Strong and her leadership team, we welcomed many well-wishers from the Department and the Faculty of Arts and Science.

See the write-up of this event in this issue of Interactions. I especially enjoyed the thoughtful expressions about how Kim and team helped the Department thrive in challenging times – lessons that will certainly apply to future challenges.

Second, at our 2025 Faculty Retreat, which took place January 10 and 11 in the beautiful Music Room of Hart House, I was gratified by my colleagues’ creative engagement as we considered the future of the McLennan Physical Laboratories facility as part of our contribution to the MP Renewal Masterplan Project (see the article in this issue [link]). We are fortunate to be able to draw on the rich experience of our great faculty and community as we consider the future of the facility.

Finally, the third highlight was the continued celebration of University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize in Physics, at the Nobel Week in December, in Stockholm, Sweden and at the Martin Family Lecture in Physics in February. (See the article about the Martin Lecture in this issue. (link)

About Nobel Week in December: I was privileged to represent our Department as part of the University of Toronto’s delegation. The University hosted several events in Stockholm’s beautiful hotel and museum spaces and at the Canadian Embassy to Sweden. The week featured Prof. Hinton and others leading fascinating discussions about the state and future of artificial intelligence, about Canada’s work in this area, and about cooperation and investment activity between Sweden and Canada. I got to take part in great conversations about the Physics perspective on this prize. I was also offered many opportunities to highlight our Department’s initiatives, particularly in experimental physics and quantum information science, with alumni attending the event, representatives of Swedish industry, and our own university leadership. I’m hopeful that these connections will help advance some of our most pressing needs.

I also want to mention a few other milestones, including that:

• Prof. Ziqing Hong has passed his interim review with the wholehearted support of the Department;
• Our Librarian, NuRee Lee, has been awarded permanent status and promotion to Librarian III;
• Prof. Yoni Kahn covered in a separate profile (link) and mentioned in the Martin Lecture article (link) has joined our Department in December;
• Ms Harim Ulfig has joined the department as Executive Assistant and Projects Coordinator for the Chair’s Office; and
• Ms Jennifer Pinker has been seconded as Outreach, Facilities and Special Projects Coordinator at Department of Physics. Thank you, Jennifer, for your work on this issue of Interactions!

I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading the many features of Interactions in the coming pages. You can rewatch the presentations by this year's Welsh Lecturers [link], get a chance to learn about Prof. Dylan Jones’s appointment to the Wilson Professorship [link], get an update on our many Outreach [link] and Physics Student Union (PhysU) [link] activities, and become better acquainted with our community through faculty, student, and alumni profiles [links]. Our work continues to show how U of T Physics can thrive and lead, even in challenging times, as we pursue our Physics teaching and research mission with energy, passion and integrity. The support of our community in this mission is deeply appreciated.

Wishing you all the best for the summer.

Sincerely,

Paul Kushner
Professor and Chair, Department of Physics, University of Toronto