Hi Zachary,

Welcome back to another edition of the McDonald Institute newsletter!

Off the top, I want to mention that we need speakers for the HQP Seminar Series! If you're a grad student or postdoc, this is a great opportunity to practice a long-form presentation and add an invited talk to your CV. We currently do not have a speaker scheduled for April or May and need volunteers. If you're working on a presentation or thesis defence, this would be a great chance to do a run-through, get feedback, and field some questions. Contact the HQP Advisory Committee at hqpac@mcdonaldinstitute.ca for more information.

Also, if you're going to be in the Kingston area on May 10th and would like to volunteer for Science Rendezvous Kingston, please contact Catarina Chagas.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement. As always, if you have something you'd like to see shared in our newsletter, please get in touch via communications@mcdonaldinstitute.ca

Let's dive in!



Abstract submissions are now OPEN for the Women+ in Physics Canada 2025 Conference at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, July 22-25, 2025!

Whether you're doing theory, applied physics, astronomy, education, or interdisciplinary research, apply now!

This conference platform aims to amplify the scientific contributions of women, gender minorities, and their allies to share research, network, and expand professionally in the field of physics. Conference delegates will have the opportunity to build networks, explore career paths, and present research while also promoting conversations about gender equity in physics.

For more information, visit the Conference Website.

Annual Meeting HQP Workshop to Feature Alumni Network Opportunities

The one-day HQP workshop preceding this year’s McDonald Institute Annual Community Meeting at Carleton University will expand on the work of Queen’s PhD student Shannon McConnell, who has been connecting former astroparticle physics students and fellows with current researchers.

“As the Canadian astroparticle research network has grown over the years, we’ve increasingly been working with students interested in building their connections with people in industrial, public sector and non-profit organizations outside of academia,” says Edward Thomas, the Institute’s Associate Director of External Relations. “One of the benefits of ‘Big Science’ is that it creates big cohorts of extremely talented alumni – and Shannon has been doing fantastic work at engaging people with astroparticle research experience who are now running their own companies, managing private-and public-sector offices, and developing cutting edge commercial technologies in large organizations. We intend to use a portion of the Aug. 5 workshop at Carleton to introduce highly qualified personnel in our community to the breadth and scope of this alumni network and how it can be engaged to cultivate a wide range of career opportunities both inside and outside of academia.”

The Canadian Astroparticle Physics Annual Community Meeting in Ottawa runs from Wednesday, August 6, to Friday, August 8, with an optional one-day special workshop for HQP on Tuesday, August 5. The Institute will provide residence room accommodations for students, technicians, and postdoctoral fellows to support their participation in any part of the workshop and meeting. Registration for the workshop and the regular meeting is open at https://indico.global/event/14027/ 

Dark Matter and Stars Conference Call for Abstracts

The International Conference "Dark Matter and Stars: Multi-Messenger Probes of Dark Matter and Modified Gravity" will be held at Queen’s University in Kingston July 14-16. 

The conference aims to bring together scientists working across the different research fields of astrophysics, cosmology, and modified gravity to look at the dark matter problem from different perspectives. The meeting is intended to initiate cross-field discussions of dark matter searches, their current status, and future prospects.

Abstract submission deadline:         18 May 2025

Registration deadline:                        31 May 2025

https://indico.cern.ch/event/1467343/



SNOLAB welcomes photographers to Photowalk 2025

SNOLAB will join several of the world’s leading physics laboratories to open their doors to amateur and established photographers as they join together to host the Global Physics Photowalk 2025 competition.

SNOLAB will host two opportunities for visiting photographers: May 23 and May 30, 2025.

Photowalk 2025 will include both local and national competitions. Winning photos from SNOLAB will be curated into a local online exhibit and submitted to a global judging panel. The Global Physics Photowalk is organized by the Interactions Collaboration, which will announce a global shortlist in September, followed by a public vote online. A selection of the winning photos will be published in the CERN Courier and Symmetry magazine.

There is limited space available for each SNOLAB Photowalk date, and participants must

register in advance. Registration details for the SNOLAB Photowalk are available here.

Follow the Photowalk on social media with #PhysPics25.

SNOLAB 2025 Future Projects Workshop

As part of its long-term planning process, SNOLAB is providing a community-wide review of potential future projects interested in access to Canada’s underground laboratory. The Future Projects Workshop will engage with collaborations interested in using any space underground, including any of the large-scale experimental areas within SNOLAB, over the next five to 10 years. All are invited to present their capabilities, R&D projects, status, plans, and infrastructure requirements for review.

The workshop will be onsite at SNOLAB in Sudbury from April 29 to May 1, 2025.

Registration has been extended to Friday, April 11: https://indico.snolab.ca/e/fpw2025



TAUP2025 Call for Abstracts

The 19th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP2025) will be held in Xichang, Sichuan Province, China, from 25 to 29 August 2025. TAUP2025 is designed to convene theorists and experimentalists in the field of astroparticle physics to assess and deliberate on the current state and future directions of our discipline's thematic areas, including cosmology and particle physics, dark matter and its detection, neutrino physics and astrophysics, gravitational waves, high-energy astrophysics, and cosmic rays.

Xichang serves as the support city for the China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL), and organizers will offer guided visits to the CJPL for conference participants on August 24 and August 30, 2025.

Abstract Submission Deadline: May 1st

https://hep.tsinghua.edu.cn/taup/information



Jodi Cooley appointed to expert panel on research infrastructure



Jodi Cooley, professor in the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy and the Executive Director of SNOLAB, has been appointed to a national expert panel on research infrastructure convened by the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) at the request of the federal government. The panel will evaluate strategies to enhance Canada’s national research infrastructure to ensure it effectively supports current and future needs. This includes assessing strengths and weaknesses in the existing infrastructure, identifying best practices in planning and development, and exploring strategic factors that might support responses to future challenges and opportunities.*

*excerpted from the Queen’s Gazette.

Building Connections through Science: BANS Event at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia

On March 25, the McDonald Institute had the privilege of joining Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Science for the Black and African Nova Scotian Engagement (BANS) event held on campus. This vibrant gathering brought together Black and African Nova Scotian students from four local high schools to connect with faculty, staff, and current students to explore future opportunities in science at Dalhousie. The event featured a keynote address by Paul Ash, Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, as well as leadership highlights from the Dalhousie Black Science Society, a booth expo that focused on research in STEM, career paths, and mentorship in the sciences. It was an excellent opportunity to share insights, celebrate student potential, and strengthen relationships that support inclusive science education.

Dalhousie University was recently awarded an NSERC PromoScience grant for the innovative "Bringing STEM to Life: Work-Integrated Learning Program in Physics – Nova Scotia Pilot Program 2025." Led by the Chairs for Inclusion in Science and Engineering (CISE) and built upon the success of the WiL program established by Lisa Cole at the k2i team at York's Lassonde School of Engineering. The pilot month-long summer program will provide 20 Black high school students with paid lab assistant positions, a Grade 11 physics credit, and hands-on experience in physics research – helping to build pathways into STEM and open new opportunities for future study and careers. 

Dr. Kevin Hewitt welcomes students, teachers, principals, staff, and faculty to the 2025 Black and African Nova Scotian Engagement Event, March 25, 2025.

While not the central focus of the event, the timing was especially meaningful. Dr. Kevin Hewitt – our host and the lead on the Work-Integrated Learning Program – was recently awarded the 2025 Holland Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to equity, mentorship, and the success of Black students in science. The McDonald Institute extends its warm congratulations to Dr. Hewitt and his team for their impactful work in expanding opportunities for youth in STEM.

Learn more about Promo Science recipients here.



The McDonald Institute Engineering Design Team!

The McDonald Institute Engineering team at Queen’s University assists in the design and fabrication of particle physics experiments across the Canadian astroparticle physics community.

Koby Dering, P.Eng, is the team manager and Senior Mechanical Engineer, bringing more than 15 years of experience in this field.

Left to right: Mackenzie Dean, Jonathan Corbett, Madelyn Bratuz (SWEP 2024), Badru Celil (SWEP 2024), Nic Moss, Koby Dering, Armin Mir

Koby was responsible for many components of the DEAP-3600, NEWS-G, and CUTE experiments and now provides diverse engineering oversight for the team and for next-generation experiments like PICO-500 and SBC. Jonathan Corbett, Intermediate Engineering Designer, has an Engineering Physics background and brings a valuable perspective to the team by bridging experimental physics goals with the practical design constraints of engineering. He also specializes in cryogenic systems. Mackenzie Dean, Armin Mir, and Nic Moss are Mechanical Engineering Designers bringing more than 15 years of combined experience from previous work in automation, steel manufacturing, food and pharmaceutical manufacturing, and materials research industries. Mackenzie specializes in the integration of subsystems across mechanical and electrical domains. Armin leads the mechanical design of installation fixtures for large experimental equipment and designs process piping. Nic excels in interpretation and application of design codes and is a key resource in the design of pressure equipment.



Together, this team excels in tackling complex, multidisciplinary engineering challenges. Requests for support should be directed to Koby (koby.dering@queensu.ca).

McDonald Institute Admin Team Updates!

We are pleased to welcome Mariam Kumassah back from her maternity leave as the McDonald Institute HR Coordinator, and we want to express our sincere thanks to Victoria Campbell, who filled the position over the past year. 

A tremendous thank you goes out to our outgoing Finance Officer, Nicholas Grona, who worked with the McDonald Institute over the past two years managing the finance office and coordinating the accounts planning for the Institute’s transition and overlap from CFREF to NSERC funding. His skills and attention to detail will be missed, and we are certain he will find success in the next phase of his career. 

We also bid farewell to our previous Program Officer, Chineze Onuoha, who was on secondment as the Global Partnerships Officer with the Office of VP, Global Engagement at Queen’s University for 2024. Chineze has moved on to a permanent position with McMaster University as the Program Lead for the Horizons Europe Program. We thank Chineze for all her work with the McDonald Institute and wish her all the best in her new role. We also thank Rudo Mudzi for continuing to fill the role of Program Officer and for being an instrumental part of our team and community since November 2024.

One year ago yesterday, Nik Arora hosted one of the largest public science events in Kingston as thousands of people gathered at Queen’s University to witness the total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024. Months (and in some cases, years) of planning led by Nik and members of the Queen’s Physics Department provided visitors with a fun, educational, and safe experience that they will treasure for the rest of their lives.

We are thrilled to share that Nik has joined the McDonald Institute administrative team as our new Education and Outreach Officer! His passion for public science education and experience in organizing events of all sizes make him the perfect fit for the role. Welcome to the team, Nik!

This is a final reminder that Round 11 of the HQP Pooled Resources competition (Round 1 under our extension funds) is closing next week. This round aims to fund graduate astroparticle physics researchers working in Canada, with a start date in September 2025 for a two-year period (up to four years for PhD students, conditional on the McDonald Institute receiving continued funding). Funding for positions is available to those pursuing astroparticle physics research in Canada aligned with the McDonald Institute Research Strategy.

The deadline for applications is April 17, 2025 4.00 pm EDT.



McDonald Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship in Experimental Astroparticle Physics

The McDonald Institute will soon be launching Round 1 of the Postdoctoral Fellowship in Experimental Astroparticle Physics! Prospective supervisors should start to consider their application package, which will include a research plan, information on your research group, and the application packages of up to two candidates that they will be putting forward. Full details will be released when the call goes live. Postdoctoral fellows should be starting before the end September 2025 for a 2-year period (with the potential of a third year, pending continued funding at the Institute). The project must be aligned with our research strategy.

Monday, May 5th, at 2:00 pm ET

(First Monday of every month at 2pm ET)

The MI-HQPAC (McDonald Institute Highly Qualified Personnel Advisory Committee) invites you to join in an open, drop-in virtual Town Hall meeting.

This event is open to all members of the astroparticle physics research community. It focuses on issues relevant to the HQP community (students, postdocs, early career researchers, engineers, and technicians). It is a chance to talk about all issues, ideas, and questions with the people who are working to address them.

Details here.



Our newsletter provides the astroparticle physics community with updates, programs, and opportunities and we want to help share your story! We invite all members of the community to contribute to this newsletter.



The McDonald Institute at Queen’s University is situated in the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe & Haudenosaunee First Nations. The Institute is part of a national network of institutions and research centres which operate in other traditional Indigenous territories. Visit www.whose.land to learn about the traditional territories where astroparticle physicists are grateful to live and work across Canada.



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