PSI 2025 graduation ceremony
Perimeter Scholars International (PSI)
The PSI program is a globally unique master’s program, focused on theoretical physics. The standard one-year program gives students broad exposure to topics in theoretical physics and trains them to be the researchers, thinkers, and leaders of the future. PSI students can apply to continue into the new PSI two-year program, where they undertake research or industry internships in partnership with Mitacs. The PSI program is offered jointly with the University of Waterloo, the degree-granting institution.
Perimeter had 27 active PSI master’s students from the 2024/25 cohort, as presented in the 2023/24 Annual Report, with 32 percent of students identifying as women and additional genders.5 Due to the end date of the truncated fiscal year falling in April 2025, no one-year PSI students graduated in this reporting period. However, there were 2 graduates from the 2022 cohort’s two-year program. Both two-year students, Wirawat Kokaew and Ali Saraer Toosi, completed internships with Vancouver-based quantum computing company 1QBit, one of Perimeter’s industry partners, in its Waterloo office at the Perimeter Institute Quantum Intelligence Lab (PIQuIL).6
The PSI program was supported in 2024/25 in part by the Marsland Family and members of the Emmy Noether Circle.
“Opportunities for learning about theoretical physics vary widely around the world. We want to get students excited about theoretical physics and expose the most promising students around the world to Perimeter, with the hopes that they will come and study with us.”
—Dan Wohns, Perimeter Academic Staff [link]
Perimeter students give their best advice for PSI applicants
Every year, Perimeter Institute and the University of Waterloo welcome about 25 students to Waterloo for the Perimeter Scholars International (PSI) master’s program. We chatted with both current and past PSI students for tips about the application process, making the move to Perimeter Institute in Waterloo (brace yourself for Canadian winters!), and what makes this master’s program special.
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Perimeter Circle – Alumni Listings
Perimeter is committed to fostering the next generation of world-leading young scientists. Perimeter’s vibrant, collaborative environment serves as a springboard for their future research excellence. From the Perimeter Scholars International (PSI) master’s program to its world-leading PhD and postdoctoral programs, Perimeter hosts training that turns students into scientists. Find them around the world in PI’s alumni list.
PI People: Research Faculty
Whatever field you go into, try to revolutionize it
Remember when the field of physics now known as quantum foundations was considered disreputable? Perimeter Research Faculty member Rob Spekkens does. It was a field he hesitated to pursue for his PhD research, because he knew if he followed his passion his job prospects would be slim. Fortunately, just as Spekkens was finishing his PhD, a new place called Perimeter Institute was opening its doors. Perimeter made a big bet on quantum foundations that paid off handsomely, for both Spekkens and the field of physics.
“So, aim high, work hard, and keep that Perimeter spirit with you!”
—Robert Spekkens, Perimeter Research Faculty member
Meet the dedicated instructors who shape Perimeter’s world-leading master’s program
Perimeter Scholars International (PSI) is a master’s program focused on theoretical physics, hosted by Perimeter Institute in collaboration with the University of Waterloo. Founded in 2009, PSI has quickly established itself as a world-leading program for aspiring theorists.
Students have the unique opportunity to learn directly from the creators of the theories they study. Ruth Gregory, head of the Department of Physics at King’s College London, best known for the Gregory–Laflamme instability of black strings and branes in higher dimensions, has taught a course on gravitational wave physics at PSI since 2009.
François David, who led the Institute of Theoretical Physics of Saclay in France from 2017 until his retirement in 2021, teaches a PSI course on quantum field theory which provides students with a deep, technical understanding of quantum fields in high-energy physics. Both Gregory and David have been with PSI since its inception in 2009, and both embody the program’s deep commitment to fostering the next generation of thinkers and researchers.
“It’s really rewarding to teach these cohorts of young people, and I’ve met a surprising number of them again and again as they progress in their careers. Teaching and mentoring has been a large part of my career; it’s a joy and a very satisfying part of an academic role.”
—Ruth Gregory, PSI Lecturer
“It was a great experience to be offered this opportunity to teach and to come back year after year. Teaching at PSI is one of the highlights of my life as a scientist.”
—François David, PSI Lecturer
PI People: PSI Alumni
Anna Knörr
Setting course during two years of PSI
For some Perimeter Scholars International (PSI) students, the 10-month master’s program feels too short. That was the case for two PSI students in the 2022 class who felt they needed more time to narrow down what research area to specialize in. Thanks to support from Perimeter’s academic staff, two PSI students pursued internships in the growing quantum industry. Their experience was a pilot of the PSI internship option, and they graduated with PSI’s 2023 class. Graduate Anna Knörr shares her story.
“In this next chapter, I won’t forget the core lesson that PSI taught me: to not let anything stand in your way of being curious.”
—Anna Knörr, PSI Alumna (two-year)
PSI Start
Perimeter Institute hosts PSI Start, a 10-week online school, from May to July every year. PSI Start assists 40 undergraduate students with the transition to competitive master’s programs. Participants learn about cutting-edge topics in modern theoretical physics through four courses, group projects on specialized topics, and other special events such as presentations from researchers and panel discussions. Of those 40, a lucky 10 are selected for the PSI Start Internships, where students come in person to work alongside leading scientists on real problems in theoretical physics.
Due to the shift of the truncated fiscal year in relation to the cadence of the program, Perimeter did not welcome a new cohort of PSI Start students in this reporting period, but 11 PSI Start Interns from 9 countries from the previous reporting year completed their internship in August 2024. The 2025 cohort will be featured in articles on Perimeter’s website and included in 2025/26 Annual Report.
Learn more here.
“I cannot stress enough how brilliant of a program this is. You get to do amazing research with some of the world's best, and just being here, amongst those types of people, and interacting with them, is life-changing.”
—Herbie Warner, previous PSI Start Intern
PSI Bridge
Perimeter recognizes that many promising undergraduate students face challenges that could, in the absence of support, hinder their progression to graduate studies in theoretical physics. Some may not have had the opportunity to study advanced undergraduate physics; others may have encountered barriers or interruptions in their studies or may want to switch to theoretical physics from a different background (like engineering or mathematics). Perimeter’s PSI Bridge program is designed to help students overcome these barriers and acquire skills that will prepare them for future studies in graduate physics programs.
Perimeter selects a cohort of talented young students each calendar year to participate in the part-time online program, designed to supplement the final year of their undergraduate studies. From May to December, participants attend online tutorials and discussions on advanced topics in undergraduate physics, including quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, and relativity. In January 2025, 8 students from 6 countries completed the program. Due to the shift of the truncated fiscal year in relation to the cadence of the program, Perimeter did not welcome a new cohort in this reporting period, but the selection process is ongoing for the 2025/26 cohort.
Learn more here.
Career Trajectories
Training in physics provides students and postdoctoral researchers with skills that have enormous value to potential employers, academic and non-academic alike. Perimeter’s Career Trajectories initiatives are designed to expose students and postdocs to a wide variety of potential employment pathways and experiences to support them in finding their next career step in Canada or abroad. Perimeter alumni have gone on to successful careers in various sectors (such as academia, quantum technology, finance, and data science) and to work for companies of all sizes – from large multinationals like Google to Canadian start-ups – as well as founding their own companies. Career Trajectories offers workshops and networking opportunities, a suite of tailored resources for academic and non-academic career development, and individual support for résumé development and interview skills.
In 2024/25, Perimeter hosted five Career Trajectories events – with a total of over 75 participants – including networking events, panel discussions, seminars, mini-courses, and workshops on postdoc and faculty job applications. Due to the shift in Perimeter’s fiscal year, the number of Career Trajectories events held in 2024/25 is lower than average.
Academic Career Trajectories Events 2024/25
Faculty Application Basics Workshop with Matt Johnson
Faculty Application Feedback from Faculty
Mock Research Presentation for Faculty Job Applicants
Industry-Focused Career Trajectories Events 2024/25
Lunch & Learn with academic-turned-industry professional Mijan Hug
Considerations for Career Options Beyond Academia Workshop with industry professional Aggie Branczyk