Dr. Bridget Andersen awarded the Dr. Allie Vibert Douglas Astrophysics PhD Thesis Prize

Congratulations to Dr. Bridget Andersen, who has received the Dr. Allie Vibert Douglas Astrophysics PhD Thesis Prize! 

Two funding opportunities available for students participating in a Field Study Semester

The Faculty of Science is pleased to share two awards available for students participating in a Field Study Semester (FSS) in the 2026-2027 or 2027-2028 academic year.

McGill team awarded CIFAR AI Safety Catalyst Grant to advance developer oversight in AI-assisted coding

Freshwater browning threatens growth and populations of economically important fish, McGill researchers say

Freshwater browning is stunting fish growth of some species, shrinking populations of others and changing the composition of fish communities, McGill-led research suggests. “Browning” refers to freshwater bodies turning tea-coloured, a phenomenon driven by higher levels of dissolved organic matter and/or higher levels of iron in the water. Causes include changes in land use and climate, and reduced acid precipitation.

McGill researchers develop a cheaper, safer material for use in solar panels, sensors and optical devices

Using proteins from a common tobacco plant virus, McGill chemistry researchers have developed a simple, eco-friendly way to arrange gold nanoparticles into ultrathin sheets, strengthening the particles’ optical properties. The result: cheaper, safer materials for solar panels, sensors and advanced optical devices. 

Professor Audrey Moores (Chemistry) awarded the Canadian Pacific Chair in Biotechnology

Congratulations to Professor Audrey Moores (Chemistry), who has been awarded the Canadian Pacific Chair in Biotechnology!

The Canadian Pacific Chair in Biotechnology is an endowed chair created in 1984 to promote research in the field of biotechnology. The chair is awarded for a five-year term and rotates among McGill's Faculties of Medicine, Science and Agriculture.

Exoplanet is observed shedding its atmosphere in real time

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team led by McGill researcher Vigneshwaran Krishnamurthy has observed a giant cloud of helium gas evaporating from a distant giant exoplanet called WASP-107b.

24 McGill researchers identified in Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers List

Twenty-four McGill researchers have been named to the 2025 Highly Cited Researchers™ list, a ranking prepared each year by Clarivate, an analytics company based in the US. The list assesses researchers in a wide range of disciplines, from neuroscience to environmental science. The number of McGill scholars on the list grew from 14 in 2024 to 24 in 2025.

McGill’s Bachelor of Arts and Science program celebrates 20 years of interdisciplinary scholarship

On Thursday, November 13, over 150 students, alumni, staff and faculty members gathered in the SSMU ballroom to celebrate the 20th anniversary of McGill’s Bachelor of Arts and Science (B.A.

Redpath Museum and Physics Outreach bring science to life at McGill's Bellairs Research Institute

This past September, St. James Parish in Barbados celebrated We Gatherin’, a year-long festival of Barbadian heritage, culture and community. As part of the festivities, McGill’s Bellairs Research Institute hosted a day-long Science Adventure for local schoolchildren featuring a visit from McGill’s Redpath Museum and the Physics Outreach Committee. 

Bringing environmental policymakers together to focus on the future sparks empathy for nature and later generations, McGill study finds

When environmental policymakers are invited to imagine the future together, they don’t just think differently, they feel differently, too.

How a McGill undergrad’s summer research project became a paper in a prestigious journal

When then-McGill undergraduate Maya Willard-Stepan cold-emailed a professor asking to help with their research, she didn’t expect the project to end up in the Nature-partner journal npj Urban Sustainability.

“I really wanted to get involved in research early,” said Willard-Stepan, who had come to McGill from a small town on Vancouver Island.

McGill researchers track boulders’ influence on snow melt, watersheds using unique combination of methods

Thanks to their use of a unique methodology, a McGill-led research team has obtained new insights into how boulders affect snow melt in mountainous northern environments, with implications for local water resources.  

The team found that snow near boulders melts faster, not only because rocks radiate heat, but also due to subtle processes that reshape the snow’s surface. This information will help researchers understand how small-scale processes affect downstream water resources. 

Climate change could result in contaminant spread in the High Arctic, McGill study finds

Warming temperatures and increased precipitation in the Canadian High Arctic are mobilizing new pathways for subsurface contaminants to spread from more than 2,500 contaminated sites associated with industrial and military sites across the region.