Advancement
Perimeter is supported by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario, as well as by significant philanthropic support from private sector corporations, foundations, and individuals. Together, we aim to build the world’s best theoretical physics institute.
Our government and philanthropic partners understand that an investment in theoretical physics is an investment in the lowest-cost, highest-impact area of science. Future breakthroughs with the power to transform society will flow from discoveries in theoretical physics – and these discoveries might be made in any or many areas of study, from quantum computing, to machine learning, to advanced algorithms for precision cosmology, or anywhere in between. The Institute’s supporters, both public and private, are key partners in building a strategic scientific asset for Canada’s future and helping to ensure near- and long-term competitiveness and prosperity in Ontario.
The Governments of Canada and Ontario have shared our vision and provided major operating funding to Perimeter since its beginnings. In 2022/23, Perimeter was in the first year of renewed two-year funding agreements with both the federal and provincial governments. These investments continue to sustain Perimeter’s ongoing success and help position Ontario, and Canada, as a leading centre of theoretical physics on the global stage.
Over one-third of Perimeter’s annual operating budget is supported by a community of visionary philanthropic supporters, which continues to grow. In the past year, Perimeter has attracted $15.6 million in new commitments.
Perimeter Institute recognizes and thanks the following donors who have made cumulative gifts totalling $100,000 or more since 2014, following the lead of Perimeter’s founding donor, Mike Lazaridis. These generous gifts have helped our private sector campaign grow to $82 million in commitments.
Airlie Foundation
BMO Financial Group
Anne-Marie Canning
Cenovus Energy
Coril Holdings
The Cowan Foundation
Joanne Cuthbertson and Charlie Fischer
The Daniel Family Foundation
The Delaney Family
Carlo Fidani
The Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin Charitable Foundation
Gluskin Sheff
The Peter and Shelagh Godsoe Family Foundation
Scott Griffin Foundation
John & Deborah Harris Family Foundation
Intact Financial Corporation
The Krembil Foundation
Linamar Corporation
Tim Locke
Maplesoft
The Marsland Family
James Mossman
Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Pattison Outdoor Advertising
Power Corporation of Canada
Ptarmigan Charitable Foundation
RBC Foundation
Riddell Family Charitable Foundation
Scotiabank
Michael Serbinis and Laura Adams
Shaw Communications
The Simons Foundation
Corinne Squire and Neil Turok
Brian Sullivan
Sun Life Financial
John Templeton Foundation
Dr. Scott and Sherry Vanstone & family
Alex White
Mac Van Wielingen,
Viewpoint Foundation
Throughout history, women have made scientific discoveries that have shaped the modern world, often climbing over the discriminatory barriers that limited their access to education.
Among them were mathematician Emmy Noether, who made important contributions to abstract algebra and mathematical physics; Marie Curie, a physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity; and Ada Lovelace, who published the first algorithm for Babbage’s Analytical Engine, pioneering the computer era.
Sadly, for many others, the barriers were too high, and their talents and accomplishments were ignored. The result is that women across generations have had a dearth of role models in science, and particularly in physics and mathematics.
But Yasemin Sezer, the new chair of Perimeter’s Emmy Noether Council, sees Perimeter Institute as a place that will change that. She is passionate about the women who will be the scientific leaders of tomorrow in a new era of discovery.
“We are at the beginning of huge new discoveries in our understanding of the universe. My goal is to really push to get more women involved, to be part of those great discoveries, and to be represented in that future. We need to utilize their empathy and intelligence.”
Yasemin Sezer
The Emmy Noether Council was launched in 2019 and is made up of a group of individuals working with Perimeter to support women in physics.
The whole world will benefit, Sezer adds. “Physics underlies everything around us – how the world was created, how it works, and what we can do with that knowledge in the future.”
Sezer is someone with deep roots and experience in technology. She also pioneered a women’s networking organization that supported and encouraged the career progress of women in the industries she has been involved in.
She immigrated to Canada from Türkiye, where she got her degree in electrical engineering from Boğaziçi University. She became a project leader in implementing the first ATMs in Türkiye. When she came to Canada in the 1990s, she restarted her career, becoming a systems analyst, and then moved into technology leadership roles, supporting product platforms in banking, insurance, and wealth management industries.
Among her recent roles, Sezer was Executive Director at Capco, a global technology and management consultancy specializing in driving digital transformation in the financial services industry. Prior to Capco, she was the chief information officer at LTI Canada, the organization that supported the product platform for almost half the mutual fund industry in Canada.
She has also been a Board Director for the CIO Association of Canada, which represents information technology executives across the country. While at LTI, she initiated the Women4Women Network, supporting the advancement of women in technology both within LTI and across the industry. “With a very minimal budget, we were able to drive a lot of improvement and change in the organization and the industry,” she says.
In 2019, the organization WXN named Sezer one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, in the science and technology category.
After being part of a forum hosted at Perimeter, Sezer wanted to be part of what happens at the Institute. She joined the Emmy Noether Council in 2021.
As the new chair, her goal is to focus on generating funding support to create more seats for women doing their PhD education and research at Perimeter. But she says that also involves raising the Institute’s profile so that more people know about the work that goes on here.
Sezer says encouraging more women to explore the sciences and math as career opportunities is important. “My goal with the Emmy Noether Council is to help create opportunities for more women and to help drive that change.”
“Perimeter is a very unique organization in the world. But more people need to know about it, and its profile needs to be understood better.”
Yasemin Sezer
