Outstanding Knowledge
Perimeter’s PhD students receive exceptional graduate-level training in theoretical physics, working with some of the world’s most accomplished researchers, interacting with Perimeter’s many annual visitors, and participating in courses, conferences, seminars, and professional development activities that prepare them to be future leaders in academia or industry. Perimeter had a total of 78 resident PhD students from 30 countries active in 2024/25, with 46 percent of those students identifying as women and additional genders.4 Resident PhD students receive their degree from a partner university where their supervisor has a full or adjunct appointment. This year, these partner universities were Dalhousie University, McMaster University, North Carolina State University, University of Guelph, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, and York University.
Many students from the Perimeter Scholars International (PSI) program continue in physics through a PhD at Perimeter. In 2024/25, 53 percent of Perimeter’s PhD students were PSI graduates.
Of the 14 students who completed their PhDs in 2024/25, many went on to prestigious postdoctoral fellowships, including Amalia Madden at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics in California, US, Ji Hoon Lee at ETH Zürich in Zürich, Switzerland, and Conner Dailey at Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Jena, Germany.
PI People: PhD Student
Marina Maciel Ansanelli
Marina Maciel Ansanelli probes the reality underlying quantum theory
When PhD candidate Marina Maciel Ansanelli began studying quantum theory as an undergraduate at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, the general approach to theory in the classroom was, “‘This is a very confusing theory, and you are going to learn how to do the calculations to make predictions, but do not ask why this is like this.’” But for Ansanelli, who has always questioned why things are the way they are, that explanation wasn’t enough.
Ansanelli studies quantum foundations, a field she first learned about in 2019 when she participated in the PSI Start Program, a summer school for undergraduates who are interested in applying to Perimeter’s master’s program. Through quantum foundations, Ansanelli seeks to understand quantum theory, including the fundamental aspects that distinguish quantum physics from classical physics. Her work focuses on quantum causal inference, an emerging field that helps physicists probe the “why” behind quantum’s strange behaviours.
Associate Postdoctoral Researchers and Graduate Students
Perimeter further strengthens connections with partner universities across Ontario and Canada through its associate postdoctoral and associate graduate student programs. Early-career researchers from partner universities are encouraged, through formal appointments as associate trainees, to participate in the full range of activities at Perimeter including attending seminars, participating in conferences, and collaborating with Perimeter’s world-class faculty. During 2024/25, the program welcomed 17 associate postdocs, 35 associate PhD students, and 18 associate master’s students, based at a range of partner institutions: McMaster University, University of Toronto, and University of Waterloo.