Renowned Exoplanet researcher Sara Seager brings her quest to find another Earth home to Canada

There is no place like home. Unless, perhaps, your research involves finding a new home among the stars.

But the world-renowned exoplanet researcher Sara Seager says she is very happy to return to her Canadian home, after leaving the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Mit) to go back to her Alma Mater, the University of Toronto.

Seager’s research includes the search for Earth 2.0 and extraterrestrial life, even in inaccessible regions like the clouds of Venus.

After nearly 20 years at Mit, the U OF graduate says the time was right to return to Toronto, where he grew up. His return also brings world-class research by Canada’s leading scientist.

“Canada has always been welcoming, like the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. I have a lot of awards from Canada; I’m often invited back to visit,” said the beach.

“So, I kind of had this ongoing relationship.”

Seager will join the University of Canada’s Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (Cita) as a Professor in September 2026.

He hopes to inspire the next generation of researchers – and brings some amazing projects with him.

“All my projects come with me to Canada,” he said. “Moreover, I hope to start new things.”

This is great news for Cita’s director, Shantanu Basu, the man behind bringing back Canada.

“I think that the leadership you have seen is what attracts people,” said Basu.

“That draws new people into the field and helps with poor absorption.

Life on Venus?

One of Seager’s planned projects: Searching for life in the clouds of Venus.

In 2020, a composite paper about the ocean You must have found phosphine in the clouds of the Planet. This chemical signature is produced on Earth by organisms that do not need oxygen to survive, and can be created in laboratories.

Excitement is filled with the thought that life may exist on a planet that is not too accessible, although the discovery is questioned by researching information by other scientists.

But the sea grew and others wanted to know for sure. So it came The morning stara project that aims to send equipment to the second planet from the sun at the beginning of the next decade.

One other mission consists of a balloon that will fly through the clouds of Venus and collect a sample from its atmosphere and bring it back to Earth.

Search for unloved worlds

When seager received his PhD from Harvard in 1994, only one exoplanet was found. The second – orbiting a sun-like star – was discovered in 1995.

Now, more than 6,000 exoplanets have been confirmed.

But so far, no terrestrial exoplanet has been discovered. That’s because it’s hard to find, being small and invisible to telescopes as it would be bathed in the light of their star.

Watch | Countries awaiting discovery, NASA says:

That’s what led Seager to the study project: Project Starshade.

This mission will involve a unique spacecraft with a shadow to block the light of the star, it may be easier to find an earth-like planet.

Because now the project was on hold, Seager said, but only temporarily.

US Cuts Canada’s ‘Opportunity’: Cita

Basu said that they wanted Sara to be recognized in Cica for a long time.

“We’ve always had this idea that maybe, in the not too distant future, someone we might be able to attract back to Canada,” he said.

Then the Trump administration began cutting science programs.

“[We thought] Hey, this could be an opportunity for Canada and Canadian Science and research in general,” said Basu.

“So, there was this good idea, maybe this is a good time to look for people in the United States that we’ve always thought we might want to attract… [and] He is one of the most famous Canadian scientists who have also done work abroad. “

Cita has yet to focus on exoplanet research, that is, which is why Seager’s arrival is so exciting.

“Our job is to attract cutting-edge science and push the boundaries. And, Sarah, that’s the definition of what she does,” Basu said.

“He was at the forefront of making predictions about what he was going to see in planetary systems and programs.”

Seager’s research is not about exoplanets. It is about finding the right ingredients for health, so there is also Lab work involved.

“[You’re] we are definitely going to see more exoplanets in Toronto. Let’s just say that,” he said in his assessment.

BASU said his interdisciplinary approach – “Connecting Exoplanetary science with Organic Chemistry and Aerosols Engineering” – is “very compelling.”

“And that’s part of Cita’s Mission: to do theoretical astrophysics in a way that can communicate with other areas of astronomy and beyond,” he added.

Currently, Seager is busy preparing to return to his alma mater.

“When you think about a change in life, what better change is there than going home?” he said.