Dear Readers,
This issue is particularly special for me as it contains last Entangler piece I will write as department chair. My second, four-year term ends on December 31. It’s been a privilege to lead and serve the department over the past eight years. I step away excited about our future and our future leadership team that will surely take the department to new heights. Professor Rob Hill has agreed to serve as interim chair until July 1, 2025 when Professor Dave Hawthorn begins his four-year term. I’ve worked with and deeply admire both Rob and Dave.
I leave you with great news. Over the past decade our department has grown explosively in student numbers and scientific output. Our undergraduate program includes 850 physics majors including Physics & Astronomy which is the only growing program across all of Science. We have roughly 250 graduate students studying and researching a broad spectrum of physics both fundamental and applied. We are surely the largest in Canada and among the top four in numbers across North America. Over the past five years we have accelerated up the charts in international subject rankings. This year Waterloo’s Department of Physics and Astronomy is ranked number one in Canada and number 38 in the world by the 2024 Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. This honour continues our department’s steep upward trajectory in the world rankings and places us among the elite departments in the world. In partnership with the Institute for Quantum Computing and the Perimeter Institute, Waterloo Physics has become a premier destination for physicists and astrophysicists from across the globe. This achievement is a tribute to hard work by world-class faculty, staff, and students performing research and teaching of the highest order, all enabled by a sharp, dedicated, and efficient administrative staff.
To all in the Department of Physics & Astronomy and to our alumni and supporters, it has been my great privilege to serve you as department chair. I look forward to working with Dave to continue our ascent as I return to my roots as teacher, researcher, and mentor.
Brian McNamara
Chair, Physics & Astronomy
