Grads & Post-Docs: Welcome package from the McDonald Institute

[Marcello Pavan]

Dear students and postdocs,
My name is Zachary Kenny, and I'm the Communications Officer with the Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute, better known as the McDonald Institute<https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/>. I manage the Institute’s communications, including our monthly newsletter,<https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/#signup> social media channels<https://linktr.ee/McDonaldInstitute>, and website, and also support the research community.
In 2016, the Institute was awarded a 7-year, $63.7 million award through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund<https://www.cfref-apogee.gc.ca/results-resultats/abstracts-resumes/competition_2/queens_university-eng.aspx>, to build on Canada’s capacity to deliver a world-leading scientific program in astroparticle physics while engaging industrial partners, students, and Canadians of all ages. In 2024, the McDonald Institute initiated a transition from the original grant to a 5-year, $45.5 million NSERC MRS grant<https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/mcdonald-institute-receives-455m-federal-support>, to further strengthen the astroparticle physics research ecosystem through direct research support<https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/funding-opportunities/>, engineering support, professional development<https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/professional-development/>, and community and networking initiatives.
All researchers, including undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdocs (collectively, Highly Qualified Personnel<https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/NSERC-CRSNG/Policies-Politiques/assessment_of_contributions-evaluation_des_contributions_eng.asp#:~:text=These%20highly%20qualified%20personnel%20(HQP,%2C%20entrepreneurship%2C%20leadership%20and%20collaboration.> (HQP)), as well as research fellows, faculty, technical/engineering and research staff, and administrative staff, are all part of the McDonald Institute’s Canadian Astroparticle Physics Community. If you are receiving this email, that means you!
As a member of the astroparticle physics research community, we welcome and invite you to take advantage of our various programs. The best way to stay connected is through our monthly newsletter<https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/newsletter/> and our Astroparticle Physics HQP mailing list, where we share information for upcoming seminars, events, and opportunities, such as the new HQP Excellence Awards<https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/news/hexawards/> (Deadline to apply is November 15, 2025).
The HQP Excellence Awards, our HQP Seminars, and other programs are initiatives of the Highly Qualified Personnel Advisory Committee (HQPAC),<https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/hqpac/> a group of students and postdoctoral fellows from across Canada working to support the HQP community. The committee holds monthly Town Hall<https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/events/hqpac-town-hall-5/> meetings on Zoom, which are open to all members of the research community. There are currently positions available on the committee. If you’re interested in getting involved or would like to learn more, please contact hqpac at mcdonaldinstitute.ca<mailto:hqpac at mcdonaldinstitute.ca>
To help make you feel at home as part of the McDonald Institute, we’d like to offer you a special welcome care package, which includes a McDonald Institute mug, pen, some of our astroparticle physics trading cards, some stickers, and some additional information about the Institute and the opportunities we work to provide for the community. If you’d like to receive a welcome package, please complete this short form<https://queensu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_51JTKW9QYYivdDU>.
Lastly, the McDonald Institute’s Highly Qualified Personnel webpage<https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/network/people/hqp/> is in dire need of updating.  If you would like to be included on this page and have a personal profile page<https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/melissa-diamond/>, please provide your information through this form<https://ajpnsk6ab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-99HqjqzIk4B8i9C1vWnA0mXXB-elWKtGwKRyHIcTDcJ7_cQXHJVShio1W2aAO0A2VTvh_0Pe0zwMKC_N8NZlE4OKU7jIsr8HKPRhvtcEq4hNpHJclidhL-7O4ts3_KJxhZRPsr2yHrluftn4_1MVFLWRu66b0zSdO-yaKSbFh4=&c=&ch=>.
That’s all for now! If you ever have questions about the McDonald Institute or suggestions for how we can better serve the research community, please reach out to me at zachary.kenny at mcdonaldinstitute.ca<mailto:zachary.kenny at mcdonaldinstitute.ca>.
Thank you, and have a great day!


Zachary Kenny<https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-kenny/>
(he/him/they/them)

Communications Officer,
Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute
Stirling Hall 304I, 64 Bader Lane, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6
(613) 533-6000 ext. 74964

Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/McDonaldInst/> | Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/mcdonaldinstitute/> | LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/company/mcdonaldinst> | Bluesky<https://bsky.app/profile/mcdonaldinstitute.bsky.social>
Schedule a meeting<https://calendly.com/z_kenny>

The McDonald Institute and Queen’s University are situated in the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe & Haudenosaunee First Nations.

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