The Dunlap Award was established in 2013 thanks to a generous gift from the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto.
The award is to be presented in even-numbered years, to an individual or team for the design, invention, or improvement of instrumentation or software that has enabled significant advances in astronomy. To be eligible, the nominee, or leader of a nominated team, must be a member of CASCA in good standing and a Canadian astronomer or an astronomer working in Canada.
The award consists of a monetary prize and a certificate. The recipient shall be invited to address the Society at its Annual General Meeting. The nomination package must be submitted entirely in electronic form to the Chair of the Awards committee and should consist of:
- A letter of nomination (self-nominations are accepted) detailing the specific achievement for which the candidate is being nominated, and providing evidence that the achievement has had a significant impact in the field. Nomination letters should be written in the third person, without reference to nominator identity, and without institutional letterhead or other identifiers. This ensures that self- and non-self nominations are not distinguishable.;
- The CV of the nominee;
In addition, three external letters of support (e.g., from international experts in the nominee’s field). No letter should exceed two pages in length and should be sent directly to the Chair of the Awards committee (to ensure confidentiality of references).
No other material should be submitted.
2026 Dunlap Award
CASCA is pleased to announce that Professor Michel (Mike) Fich is the recipient of the 2026 Dunlap Award for Innovation in Astronomical Research Tools.
This award recognizes his sustained and visionary leadership in developing and ensuring Canadian participation in groundbreaking infrared and mm-scale astronomical instrumentation. Over his career, Professor Fich has been a driving force behind multiple instrumentation initiatives, including Herschel/HIFI, JCMT/SCUBA‑2, and most recently, the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope at the CCAT‑prime Observatory. Canada’s central participation in these major international initiatives is due in large part to Professor Fich’s tireless and selfless advocacy and leadership on behalf of the Canadian astronomical community. In some cases, without his contributions, the instruments may likely never have been built at all. Across his career, he has secured tens of millions of dollars in research infrastructure funding, led national teams, and enabled generations of scientists to explore the universe at IR/submm/mm wavelengths using instruments that have collectively produced tens of thousands of citations in the scientific literature. Most recently, as Canadian Principal Investigator and member of the Board of Directors for FYST/CCAT‑prime, Professor Fich guided the project from concept to realization, including defining its scientific goals, securing more than ten million dollars in funding, and ensuring Canada’s leadership in key instrumentation. His direct involvement in design reviews, software development, and project management has been central to the telescope’s success. Inaugurated on April 9, 2026, FYST is now positioned to deliver wide field imaging and spectroscopy with unprecedented sensitivity, establishing Canada firmly at the forefront of wide field submillimetre research.
| 2024 |  RobertoAbrams |
Dragonfly Telephoto Array View Citation |
| 2022 |  JJKavelaars |
Astronomical Data Archives View Citation |
| 2020 |  Rene Doyon |
Infrared Instrument Development View Citation |
| 2018 |  Kipp Cannon |
Data analysis techniques to search for transients View Citation |
| 2016 |  Peter Stetson |
Photometry: Old and New View Citation |
| 2014 |  Matt Dobbs |
Technology-Driven Cosmology Today and Tomorrow View Citation |