Grants and Contributions

This project aims to perform a full panchromatic characterization of the warm Neptune TOI-674 b (640 K) using JWST, observing both transmission (0.6 – 12 µm) and emission (3 – 5.2 µm) spectra. TOI-674 b is uniquely suited for this dual-geometry study, enabling constraints on aerosol properties, atmospheric chemistry, and thermal structure. The results will break cloud-metallicity degeneracies, probe CH4/CO chemistry, assess potential tidal heating, and reveal formation and migration pathways, establishing TOI-674 b as a benchmark for warm Neptune atmospheres.

The proposed project will develop and validate a second-generation radiation-hardened RISC-V microcontroller for aircraft mission control and on-board data processing. The microcontroller proposed in this project will build on previous work for the first-generation RISC-V microcontroller and will enhance computing capability and include a more advanced 12nm Fin Field-Effect Transistor (FinFET) technology node to achieve high-speed and low-power performance. This will be the one of the first attempts in Canada to design a 32-bit radiation-hardened RISC-V microcontroller using advanced FinFET transistor technology. The project will not only develop core enabling technologies for the Canadian space industry but will also train students through hands-on experience.

CARAT is a space-based instrument that will fly in low-Earth orbit on a CubeSat and act as a known reference source for Canadian and other ground-based radio telescopes. This “artificial radio star” can be observed, tracked, and used to calibrate their receivers to greatly improve their accuracy. This project will develop and test the payload for CARAT to prepare it for a future flight and involves the development of several cutting-edge space technologies, increasing their technology readiness level in the process. The project will also train personnel in space-related areas, particularly CubeSat payloads and technology as well as radio astronomy, to build greater space capacity in Canada.

The project will be carried out in collaboration with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun (FNNND), using space-based data to support local priorities, providing updated information for wetland mapping, and improving knowledge of local hydrology and carbon storage. The project will combine drone imagery, satellite data, and field measurements to capture the unique characteristics of peatlands in sloped areas. It will also test new quantum dot SWIR technology while assessing smouldering peatland wildfires by tracking their movement over time and will use field and drone-based observations to improve models that predict how smouldering fires on flat and sloped terrain start, spread, and stop. The project will deliver updated peatland maps, detailed time-series maps of smouldering fire progression, empirical models linking drone and satellite data, and validated insights into fire behavior that can be used to support wildfire monitoring, emissions estimation, and land management strategies.

The project aims to conduct Ku- and L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) experiments during the 2026-2028 winter seasons at Forêt Montmorency, QC, to better understand radar responses to seasonal snow changes in forested environments. The main objectives include: collecting polarimetric Ku- and L-band SAR data and detailed measurements of snowpack and forest biophysical properties; developing a comprehensive reference dataset to enhance Terrestrial Snow Mass Mission (TSMM) retrieval methods for forested terrain; and training highly qualified personnel (HQP) in snow, soil, and forest biomass characterization, SAR data processing, and TSMM retrieval approaches. Key deliverables are a robust dataset for TSMM development, improved retrieval techniques for snow mass estimation in forests, and specialized HQP skills in advanced SAR remote sensing and data analysis.

This project will use JWST/MIRI to conduct the first systematic search for habitable worlds around two white dwarfs. These observations will enable ultra-precise computer models of these dead stars’ atmospheres, which will allow for the detection and characterization of eventual rocky planets.

This project will use JWST/MIRI and NIRSpec to measure the atmospheric abundances of the first known intact planet orbiting a white dwarf (WD 1856+534). The spectra will also be used to obtain a better estimate of the white dwarf’s cooling age which will be compared with simulations of hydrogen-helium convective mixing in white dwarfs using stellar hydrodynamics code.

This project will use JWST/MIRI and NIRCam to map the edge-on galaxy NGC 4565, resolving its vertical PAH, dust and star formation structure at <20 pc resolution. Covering the full disk out to 30 kpc, the study will test models of galactic self-regulation and reveal whether giant interstellar filaments and vertical ISM structures seen in the Milky Way are common in other galaxies.

This project will use JWST/NirCam imaging along with NIRSpec and MIRI spectroscopy to study the atmosphere and infer the formation history of the first mature cold Jupiter analog planet imaged around another star. These observations will combine the acquired orbital information with archival data to accurately determine the planet’s orbit, mass, and bulk density.

This project will use JWST/NIRSpec and MIRI to obtain high-precision spectra of 14 cold (250 – 500 K) brown dwarfs, creating the first comprehensive “cold world spectral library”. Combined with archival data, it will establish benchmark atmospheric properties – tracing clouds, chemistry, mixing, and auroral processes. This will help guide interpretation of upcoming JWST detections of cold, directly imaged exoplanets and advance comparative planetology across planets and brown dwarfs.