Grants and Contributions

The Second Generation Balloon-borne Very Long Baseline Interferometry Experiment (BVEX2) aims to help astronomers map incredibly small and distant objects in space, like the regions surrounding supermassive black holes. By suspending a radio telescope from a stratospheric balloon above 99% of the Earth’s atmosphere, BVEX2 will demonstrate a new way to observe high-frequency light that is normally blocked by the atmosphere. This project will make the first demonstration that a telescope suspended from a stratospheric balloon can be used as part of an Earth-sized network of radio telescopes. The project will also serve as a pathfinder experiment that will develop technology that could be used for more sensitive high-frequency balloon telescopes to increase the number of mapped black hole shadows and eventually for a space interferometer that can map the regions around dozens of black holes.

The advanced growth chambers at the Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility (CESRF) at the University of Guelph can simulate conditions equivalent to those found on the Moon and Mars and will be used in this project to address four critical knowledge gaps in extraterrestrial plant production: Water and nutrient delivery, Crop performance, Multi-crop interactions, and Environment monitoring and control. The project will train HQP through hands-on experience with cutting-edge systems for extraterrestrial plant production and the research insights will inform the design of food production modules for Lunar and Martian habitats. Beyond space applications, the knowledge and technologies developed have potential spinoffs for CEA on Earth, particularly in extreme or resource-limited settings.

This project will use JWST/NIRSpec to confirm the first robust candidate for a Population III galaxy (ID16043) at redshift z = 6.5, enable detections of rest-frame optical lines in extremely faint galaxies and probe the existence of low mass black holes at high redshift. This will be the deepest medium-grating spectroscopy ever conducted by JWST in a gravitational lensing cluster field.

This project aims to study star formation in extreme environments by assembling a sample of 10 starbursting nuclear rings with comprehensive multiwavelength data. Using high-resolution VLA 33 GHz maps and JWST/NIRCam imaging, the team will resolve individual GMCs, H II regions, and star clusters to measure extinction-free star formation rates and investigate how factors like feedback, gas inflow, and turbulence regulate star formation efficiency in conditions similar to the Milky Way’s central molecular zone.

This project addresses the gaps in satellite-based high-spatial-resolution hyperspectral imaging, with a focus on the shortwave infrared range (SWIR), and its application to carbon monitoring. It advances research in this field in collaboration with Wyvern, a Canadian satellite company, as well as other academic and industry collaborators. As part of the project, multi-scale datasets will be analyzed to identify band configurations, especially in SWIR, that are most effective for detecting soil carbon. This research will generate transferable datasets and methods, as well as maps of carbon storage and dynamics in the study area, thereby enhancing Canada’s capabilities in both space technology development and carbon monitoring, and providing guidance for the design of next-generation hyperspectral satellites.

This project targets a cool-core brightest cluster galaxy where JWST Cycle 2 data revealed warm H2 and clumpy PAH emission in the circumgalactic medium, likely from jet-driven shocks. Using full NIRSpec and MIRI/MRS IFU coverage (2-28 µm), the project will map gas temperature, excitation and ionization to study how shocks, turbulence and feedback regulate star formation and molecular gas survival. Combined with ALMA, VLA and Chandra data, it will provide the first spatially resolved view of the baryon cycle in a BCG and its cold CGM.

This project will use JWST to conduct the first deep infrared census of YSOs in the massive protoclusters NGC 6334I(N) and 6334I, identifying over 1,000 sources down to 0.1 L☉. Combined with ALMA disk observations, it will measure dust masses, radii and substructures to reveal how circumstellar disks evolve in dense cluster environments and how such regions shape star and planet formation.

This project aims to develop a new type of flexible, lightweight sensor network that can monitor people’s health in space and in remote areas. By using laser-induced graphene (LIG) as a sensing layer within sensor patches, the resulting network can track moisture, strain, and temperature across the body, generating a comprehensive physiological body map. The developed sensing network will advance health monitoring from local or torso-based monitoring to comprehensive full-body monitoring. Beyond space exploration, the lightweight sensing network can benefit health monitoring in rural communities.

This project aims to better understand the sources and behavior of methane gas on Mars, which is important because it could indicate active biological or chemical processes beneath the planet’s surface. To achieve this, the project uses rotorcraft—drones capable of flying in Mars-like conditions—to track methane plumes and pinpoint their origins. The investigation will progress through three stages: first, examining plume dynamics and source localization in a non-chemically reactive environment; next, examining methane and chlorine interactions under simulated Mars conditions in a laboratory; and finally, field testing in an environment similar to Mars (Námafjall, Iceland). The project’s main deliverable is a detailed method for detecting and tracing methane plumes, helping scientists determine whether Mars may have ongoing biological activity.

This project uses JWST imaging and spectroscopy to study Kepler’s supernova remnant, a key Type Ia case for testing single- vs. double-degenerate progenitor models. By mapping ejecta, circumstellar material and dust, the observations will reveal the progenitor’s nature, constrain explosion models and link resolved galactic remnants to JWST studies of distant Type Ia supernovae.