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Theoretical astrophysicist Ue-Li Pen has been selected by the Simons Foundation to receive a .

Pen, the interim director of the in the 91�Թ�'s Faculty of Arts & Science, joins 15 others honoured from across North America and Europe. He is the second researcher at a Canadian institution – and the first from 91�Թ� – to be tapped for the award since the program was introduced in 2012.

“Being named a Simons Investigator is a great honour,” said Pen, who is also professor in 91�Թ�'s department of physics. “I am grateful and humbled to receive this award, which will enable substantial new and innovative astrophysics research opportunities at the 91�Թ�.”

Pen is known for developing innovative tools to create new fields of research. His pioneering work on 21 cm intensity mapping opens a new window for the precision study of dark energy and neutrinos.

Recently, his use of natural plasma in our galaxy as a giant telescope spawned the field of scintillometry, enabling new glimpses into enigmatic pulsars and unsolved fast radio bursts. The vastly improved precision may improve our understanding of space-time, including gravitational waves.

The awards are presented by the New York-based Simons Foundation to outstanding scientists in mathematics, physics, astrophysics and theoretical computer science. They support researchers in their most productive years – when they are establishing creative new research directions – providing leadership to the field and effectively mentoring junior scientists.

The award provides $100,000 annually for five years and an additional $10,000 per year is given to the investigator’s department.