Accepting the torch from a trailblazer

University of Saskatchewan (USask) physics professor Dr. Glenn Hussey (PhD) has been appointed as the permanent principal investigator (PI) and director of SuperDARN Canada.

Hussey was formally announced as the permanent PI and director of SuperDARN, effective May 1, 2025. He was appointed as interim PI and director in November 2024, when his colleague and predecessor Dr. Kathryn McWilliams (PhD) needed to step away from the position for medical leave.

After a short battle with cancer, McWilliams passed away on Jan. 2. A trailblazing physics professor at USask, she was the first tenured female faculty member in the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics. Described as an extraordinary scientist, colleague and leader, McWilliams was also the first Canadian to be awarded an honorary fellowship from the United Kingdom’s Royal Astronomical Society.

"It is with a heavy heart that I assume the role of Director and PI of SuperDARN Canada from my very good friend and colleague Dr. Kathryn McWilliams,” Hussey said.

“Kathryn's and my research groups were always closely integrated together and, as such, this will allow me to successfully continue Dr. McWilliams' extremely impressive and outstanding space physics research using the SuperDARN over-the-horizon radars.  Nothing would make Kathryn happier and for this reason I'm honoured to carry on and grow her exceptional legacy."

Hussey’s close working relationship with McWilliams, and his involvement with SuperDARN made him well-qualified to take on the role, wrote USask physics department head Dr. Yansun Yao (PhD).

Hussey’s research expertise focuses on radio waves and radars, in the ground and satellite-based, to study ionospheric plasma physics in the near-Earth space environment.

SuperDARN (The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network) is a global network of scientific radars monitoring conditions in the Earth’s magnetosphere. The SuperDARN Canada headquarters are located at USask.

To learn more about Dr. McWilliams, read Dean Brooke Milne’s statement.

Related Articles