...where the Universe is our laboratory.
The Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics (WCA) looks to the cosmos to solve the greatest mysteries of the universe. Here, world-class researchers and students come together in an atmosphere of curiosity, creativity and collaboration; exploring our cosmic origin to truly understand the physical processes at work in the Universe. From black holes to cosmology, we aim to understand what lies beyond the Earth. The possibilities for new discovery are limitless.
News
Unlocking the mysteries of the universe
Using a global network of telescopes, Waterloo researchers are bringing black holes into view for the very first time.
Will Percival recipient of 2025 Excellence in Science Research Award
WCA Director, Will Percival, has been named as one of the three winners of the 2025 Excellence in Science Research Awards.
Incoming WCA Professor Awarded 100 Hours of JWST Cycle 4 Time to Investigate Lava Worlds
Lisa Dang, an incoming Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo, has been awarded 100 hours of JWST observing time in Cycle 4 for her program, "Surveying Hellish Worlds: Lava Planets as Time Capsules of Thermal Evolution."
Events
Astroseminar - Veronika Dornan
"The Evolution of Galaxies as Told through Their Globular Cluster Systems"
Veronika Dornan is a final-year PhD candidate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster University. Her research uses observations of galaxies' globular star cluster systems as tracers of their evolutionary histories. She is particularly interested in studying the globular cluster system mass - halo mass scaling relation and understanding what drives this relation from dwarf galaxies to massive ellipticals galaxies.
WCA-KPL Public Talk - Cosmic Trailblazers: Women in Astronomy and Astrophysics (Lammim Ahad)
Our knowledge and understanding about the Universe at present day brings together various famous discoveries made by astronomers. Many of these discoveries were made by women who never became household names. In this month’s KPL astronomy talk, Lammim Ahad will discuss some of the important work done by women who contributed significantly to astronomy and astrophysics, but whose contributions were often underappreciated or unrecognized at the time.