Gravity & the Extreme Universe
What is the nature of extreme gravity, and how can it help us understand the origin and evolution of the universe?
For most of human history our only information about the Universe came from visible light. Later we learned to detect other forms of electromagnetic radiation like infrared and radio waves. Today we can finally detect gravitational waves, and that opens the door to fundamentally new ways of observing and understanding the Universe.
Gravitational waves are the “ripples” created in spacetime which are caused by massive accelerating objects. Combined with other observations, they give researchers brand new tools to understand what’s happening in the Universe. Questions include the nature of extreme gravity, the origin and evolution of the universe, and the structure of compact objects such as black holes and neutron stars, as well as profound questions about fundamental physics and astrophysics.
CIFAR’s Gravity & the Extreme Universe program unites world-leading researchers from a number of relevant fields who are taking advantage of this wealth of new information. Fellows were chosen not only for individual excellence, but also for their expertise from a variety of fields, and across theory, experiment and observation.
Details for applicants to the CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars program
The Gravity & the Extreme Universe program seeks to answer profound questions about the nature of extreme gravity and other fundamental physics and astrophysics by using gravitational wave detection, together with a variety of forefront electromagnetic and particle experiments and observations. It brings together leading researchers from a unique and carefully defined breadth of inter-related fields, across theory, observation and experimentation, to take advantage of converging research frontiers. The program addresses three specific research questions: 1) What is the nature of extreme gravity? This theme includes the use of gravitational waves to better understand merging compact objects and pulsar timing arrays. 2) What is the origin of the universe and how did it evolve? This theme includes theoretical efforts alongside observation to elucidate the nature of dark matter, neutrinos and dark energy. 3) What is the structure of compact objects, particularly the universe’s population of black holes and neutron stars? This theme brings together observational and theoretical expertise for synergistic exploration of these exotic objects and the extreme physics they embody.
Path to Societal Impact
We invite experts in industry, civil society, healthcare and government to join fellows in our Gravity & the Extreme Universe program for in-depth, cross-sectoral conversations that drive change and innovation.
Academic and industrial experts in biomedical data analysis and artificial intelligence and CIFAR fellows in the Gravity & the Extreme Universe program are bringing about new technological innovations by using data science techniques from astronomy and cosmology to address complex challenges in genomics and medical imaging, and vice versa.
Areas of focus:
- Finding opportunities for advanced image analysis to be deployed across disciplines
- Identifying key areas, such as image classification or data processing, where researchers and industry can collaborate.
Do you want to advance the cross-sectoral application of AI?
Contact: Fiona Cunningham, Director of Innovation
Founded
1986
Renewal Dates
1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016
Supporters
R. Howard Webster Foundation
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Astrophysics
Astronomy
Astroparticle, computational, high energy and particle physics
Observational cosmology
CIFAR Contact
Fellows & Advisors
Program Director
Victoria Kaspi
Program Director
R. Howard Webster Foundation Fellow
Fellows
Lars Bildsten
Associate Fellow
Matthew W. Choptuik
Associate Fellow
Richard S. Ellis
Associate Fellow
Gilbert Holder
Fellow
Juna A. Kollmeier
Fellow
CITA
University of Toronto
Robert C. Myers
Associate Fellow
John A. Peacock
Associate Fellow
E. Sterl Phinney
Associate Fellow
Scott Ransom
Fellow
Kendrick Smith
Fellow
Neil Turok
Associate Fellow
William G. Unruh
Associate Fellow
Advisors
Scott D. Tremaine
Advisory Committee Chair
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars
Iair Arcavi
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021
Sarah Burke-Spolaor
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2018-2020
Maria R. Drout
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2018-2020
Daryl Haggard
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2017-2019
Renée Hložek
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021
Adrian Liu
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2018-2020
Raffaella Margutti
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021
Ajith Parameswaran
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2017-2019
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CIFAR is a registered charitable organization supported by the governments of Canada, Alberta and Quebec, as well as foundations, individuals, corporations and Canadian and international partner organizations.