U of T alum Sara Seager returns to her alma mater as North Star Distinguished Professor

Photo by Nils Lund.

A pioneer in the study of exoplanets and exoplanet atmospheres, Sara Seager (BSc 1994, Hon. DSc 2023) is returning to U of T to join the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) as North Star Distinguished Professor, starting September 1, 2026.

“I’m excited to return home as a faculty member, researcher and mentor at the institution where my academic journey began, and to push the boundaries of discovery with forward-thinking collaborators across disciplines,” says Seager, a native Torontonian and U of T alum who grew up a few blocks from the downtown campus.

Seager’s research will be supported through cross-appointments with the Departments of Physics and Chemistry, as well as the David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, with funding from the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics.

From U of T to an Officer of the Order of Canada

She joins CITA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she will complete her tenure as Professor of Physics, Professor of Planetary Science and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Prior to MIT, she was with the Carnegie Institute of Science and the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey. In 1999, she received her PhD from Harvard University. In 2023, she received an honorary Doctor of Science from U of T for her leadership in the fields of astrophysics and planetary science. She earned a bachelor of science in the math and physics specialist program at U of T in 1994.

Throughout her distinguished career, which includes the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics, a MacArthur Fellowship (or “genius grant”) and the distinction of Officer of the Order of Canada, Seager has conducted ground-breaking research into the detection and study of exoplanet atmospheres, with a focus on what those observations reveal about the possibility and presence of life.

Seager’s quest for Earth-like exoplanets – “Earth 2.0”– and signs of life on them guides her efforts in space-based searches. She was Deputy Science Director of the NASA space mission TESS, a space telescope which has discovered hundreds of planets orbiting nearby stars. She led NASA-sponsored Starshade mission concept studies, establishing the feasibility of starshade science and technology for directly imaging Earth-sized exoplanets around nearby Sun-like stars. Her search also includes missions designed to look for signs of life closer to home, within the atmosphere of Venus. 

“We are delighted to welcome Professor Seager to the CITA community,” says Shantanu Basu, interim director of the institute. “Her visionary leadership in exoplanet research, especially her groundbreaking work on atmospheric characterization and the search for biosignatures, aligns perfectly with CITA’s mission to push the frontiers of theoretical astrophysics.”

CITA is Canada’s national research centre based in the Faculty of Arts & Science at U of T and is dedicated to the advancement of theoretical astrophysics and our understanding of the universe. Its dual mission is to foster interactions within the Canadian astrophysics community, in part through its national postdoctoral fellowships, postdoctoral and research associate fellowships, and extensive student supervision.

“Professor Seager’s arrival marks an incredibly exciting moment for the faculty, CITA and the Canadian scientific community,” says Stephen Wright, interim dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “Her inventive, interdisciplinary research agenda promises to ignite new collaborations and inspire a new generation of scientists.”

Continuing out of this world research

As for what she has planned for when she arrives, Seager will establish an ambitious interdisciplinary research program. This initiative will rethink the habitability of planets and accelerate the search for life across the cosmos. Her program is built upon the synergy of exoplanet astronomy, laboratory organic chemistry, computational physics and aerospace engineering.

She will also continue to lead the Morning Star Missions to Venus, a series of privately and publicly funded space missions to Venus. The first mission, in partnership with Rocket Lab, will launch a spacecraft to Earth’s solar system neighbour, targeted for 2026. The series of missions will study Venus’s atmosphere to search for organic molecules that could indicate the presence of life.

“U of T has consistently led the way in transformative research,” said Seager. “I’m deeply honoured to join this community of visionary thinkers dedicated to innovation and impact.”

Seager is one of three top researchers from U.S. universities joining U of T for the start of the 2026-27 academic year. Read the full story at U of T News.

Originally published by the Faculty of Arts & Science