Congratulations to Professor Michel (Mike) Fich on being named the recipient of the 2026 Dunlap Award for Innovation in Astronomical Research Tools. This award recognizes Fich’s sustained and visionary leadership in developing and ensuring Canadian participation in groundbreaking infrared and mm-scale astronomical instrumentation.
The following is the full award citation:
"Over his career, Professor Fich has been a driving force behind multiple instrumentation initiatives, including Herschel/HIFI, JCMT/SCUBA‑2, and most recently, the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) at the CCAT‑prime Observatory. Canada’s central participation in these major international initiatives is due in large part to Professor Fich’s tireless and selfless advocacy and leadership on behalf of the Canadian astronomical community. In some cases, without his contributions, the instruments may likely never have been built at all.
Across his career, he has secured tens of millions of dollars in research infrastructure funding, led national teams, and enabled generations of scientists to explore the universe at IR/submm/mm wavelengths using instruments that have collectively produced tens of thousands of citations in the scientific literature.
Most recently, as Canadian Principal Investigator and member of the Board of Directors for FYST/CCAT‑prime, Professor Fich guided the project from concept to realization, including defining its scientific goals, securing more than $10M in funding, and ensuring Canada’s leadership in key instrumentation. His direct involvement in design reviews, software development, and project management has been central to the telescope’s success. When inaugurated in 2026, FYST will deliver wide‑field imaging and spectroscopy with unprecedented sensitivity, establishing Canada firmly at the forefront of wide field submillimetre research."
Congratulations again to Professor Fich on this honour and such an incredible career!
Read more on the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics website.