Professor of Astronomy Director of the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics University of Toronto

Bryan Gaensler is a Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto. He also holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Radio Astronomy, and is the co-chair of the Canadian Astronomy Long Range Plan 2020-2030. He received his PhD from the University of Sydney in 1999, and subsequently held positions at MIT, the Smithsonian Institution, Harvard University and the University of Sydney, before taking up his current role in 2015. Gaensler has published more than 400 research papers on cosmic magnetism, interstellar gas and cosmic explosions, while his best-selling popular astronomy book "Extreme Cosmos" has been translated into five languages. Gaensler is a a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a former Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, and gave the 2001 Australia Day Address to the nation. His research has been recognised by the American Astronomical Society (Pierce Prize), Australian Academy of Science (Pawsey Medal), and Canadian Astronomical Society (Martin Award), and has twice (2005, 2020) been named as one of Science magazine’s “Breakthroughs of the Year”. Gaensler is the co-chair of the Toronto Initiative for Diversity and Excellence (TIDE), a grassroots service group consisting of University of Toronto (UofT) faculty members from across disciplines, with a focus on advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion at UofT. TIDE provides evidence-based workshops, education and resources covering unconscious bias, racism, sexism, and other barriers to inclusion and belonging at UofT, along with recommendations on practical actions that aim to mitigate and overcome these barriers. TIDE’s services cover all aspects of departmental culture and the academic career arc, plus confidential counsel to academic leaders, staff units, and administrators.