Arthur B. McDonald

BSc, MSc, PhD
Honorary Doctor of Science

Dr. Arthur B. McDonald is a Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist with a reputation for inspiring leadership, collaboration, and technical innovation.

He is renowned for his ground-breaking discovery that neutrinos (the tiniest subatomic particles in the universe) have mass, which led to a 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics, an honour he shares with Japanese physicist Dr. Takaaki Kajita.

McDonald is one of five Canadians to receive the Nobel Prize in physics, and one of two whose work took place in Canada. His research shattered the existing Standard Model of Particle Physics framework, providing new insight into how the universe evolves and confirming models of the sun that inform our understanding of the basic laws of physics.

McDonald’s prestigious career began with a BSc and MSc at Dalhousie University, and a PhD at the California Institute of Technology. Over the years, he has mentored countless scientists — as a professor at Princeton University (1982-1989) and then at Queen’s University (1989-2013), where he is now professor emeritus.

A superstar amongst Canadian physicists, McDonald actively encourages the international scientific community to work collaboratively to solve technical problems in the pursuit of new knowledge. While retired from teaching, he continues to be active in research and is a Companion of the Order of Canada, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and Fellow of the Royal Society of the UK and Commonwealth.

Since 1989, McDonald has directed the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), leading large, international scientific collaborations with an inclusive and communicative leadership style that encourages and inspires scientists at all levels.

In addition to his Nobel Prize, he has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work, including the Canadian Association of Physicists Medal for Lifetime Achievement, the NSERC Award of Excellence, the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, the Killam Prize in the Natural Sciences, and the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.

For his significant contribution to neutrino physics and astrophysics research, and his prominent role in leading Canada into the spotlight for technological innovation, The University of Winnipeg is proud to bestow an Honorary Doctor of Science on Dr. Arthur B. McDonald.