As I begin my term as Chair of the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) Council, I’m honoured to work with such a dedicated group of colleagues who share a deep commitment to CITA’s mission and its future. Together, the Council plays a central role in steering CITA’s direction, strengthening its vital connections across Canada and worldwide, and fostering a thriving future for our national astrophysics community.

This year marks 40 years of CITA – a milestone that highlights the Institute’s lasting impact — from advancing ground-breaking research to training the next generation of leading scientists. Building on this legacy, I look forward to working with the Council to further CITA’s threefold mission: to train forefront researchers, foster national collaboration, and extend the institute’s reach across Canada and internationally.

A key priority for me is to enhance the impact of the CITA National Fellows program so it continues to benefit the entire astrophysics community nationwide. I also hope to work with the Council to make it more affordable and accessible for institutions to host and hire postdoctoral fellows. This will broaden opportunities for early-career researchers and strengthen our national network. At the same time, I recognize the vital role CITA plays in selecting and supporting its in-residence postdoctoral fellows at the University of Toronto, whose research excellence and leadership are indispensable to the institute’s success and its contributions to the wider community.

Beyond our research, I’m deeply committed to helping CITA become an even more inclusive and impactful community. We aim to be an organization that truly reflects the diversity of talent across Canada, empowering everyone to contribute their fullest to our shared scientific endeavors.

The CITA Council gratefully acknowledges the continued support of NSERC and other funding partners (the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and the University of Toronto), whose investments sustain CITA’s research, fellowships, conferences, visitors, and national programs.

It’s a privilege to serve alongside the Council and CITA’s remarkable community into its next chapter as we continue building on 40 years of achievement and looking forward to an even brighter future together.

Sincerely,

Samar Safi-Harb
Professor, Canada Research Chair (Extreme Astrophysics)
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Manitoba

Letter from the Director

Welcome to the virtual gateway of the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics – a national research institute that serves the Canadian astrophysical community, fosters the growth and development of young researchers, and is at the forefront of the fast-changing landscape of astrophysics.

As the only national center for astrophysics in the world, CITA was designed to promote excellence in theoretical and observational astrophysics research by facilitating collaborations across the scientific community in Canada and internationally. Our researchers investigate questions from all of astronomy and astrophysics, ranging from the early universe and big bang cosmology to galaxy formation, high-energy phenomena such as black holes, pulsars and supernovae, gravitational waves, and star and planet formation.

At the Toronto flagship location, we are a cohesive group, housed on two floors of one building, where we meet daily to discuss hurdles, celebrate breakthroughs and share ideas. The recently built IdeaLab offers an inviting space for workshops and focus groups or simply running through the latest arXiv publications with colleagues over coffee. Many graduate students who work with CITA faculty and our excellent staff members add to the friendly atmosphere.

Every year CITA welcomes a cohort of new postdoctoral fellows and offers a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship. With a year-round schedule of seminars by renowned scholars, regular blackboard talks, theory discussion groups and numerous social and recreational events, CITA Toronto takes pride in creating abundant opportunity for research collaborations and mentorship by the best in your chosen field. But more than that, it invites you to become a part of a diverse and accepting community of explorers.

At the national level, CITA provides financial support for CITA National Fellowships, support for conferences held in Canada, and runs a vibrant visitor program.

Standing on 40 years of success in research development and education, the institute has earned global recognition and reach. CITA is engaged with several large national and international projects, including SDSS-V, CHIME/CHORD, LIGO, Scintillometry, Herschel, Planck, and CCAT-p. Our research teams are involved from initial experimental design to the analysis and interpretation of resulting data. We also have partnerships and exchange programs with renowned institutions such as KITP, IPMU, ASIAA, PI, CCA.

CITA has grown out of the enthusiasm of three faculty members and a few postdoctoral fellows to now having ten faculty members, some thirty postdoctoral fellows in Toronto and at other Canadian universities, and nearly twenty graduate students. Such tremendous growth is one measure of the success of CITA.

Another measure is the achievements of its postdoctoral program. Currently, over 132 former scholars hold tenured or tenure-track positions around the world. Twenty-three of these are in Canada, illustrating our leadership here at home.

So, what is CITA? Simply put, it is a place to discover the universe and launch a great career!

Our passion for science and discovery cannot be sustained without the generous support of a wide range of organizations. CITA gratefully acknowledges support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and the University of Toronto. Ultimately, the citizens of Canada make possible our continuing efforts to carry out fundamental research. We look forward to sharing new discoveries with you in the coming years!

 

Shantanu Basu,

Interim Director