Kyle Leach is an experimental nuclear physicist, quantum engineer, and professor.
Current Academic Appointments:
Professor, Arthur B McDonald Institute for Astroparticle Physics
Departments of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy
Queen’s University, CanadaAdjunct Professor, Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
Michigan State University (USA)Affiliate Research Scientist, Physical Sciences Division
TRIUMF (Canada)
Education and Training
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Radioactive Ion Trapping, TRIUMF (Canada)
Ph.D., Nuclear Physics, University of Guelph (Canada)
M.Sc., Nuclear Physics, University of Guelph (Canada)
B.Sc. (Honours), Physics, University of Guelph (Canada)
Recent Awards and Honours
Fellow of the American Physical Society
CO Mines Excellence in Research Award
American Physical Society Francis M. Pipkin Award
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Experimental Physics Investigator
U.S. Department of Energy Early Career Award
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams Visiting Scholar Award
American Physical Society Moore Foundation Fundamental Innovation Award
Born and raised in Canada, Kyle grew up in a small rural community in Central Ontario surrounded by forests and lakes. A strong combination of music, athletics, and academics has been an important part of his life since he was young.
Following his interests in the natural sciences, Kyle attended the University of Guelph in Canada and completed his PhD in 2013 performing nuclear physics experiments at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. After his doctorate, Kyle accepted a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the TRIUMF facility in Vancouver, Canada, performing novel ion trap decay spectroscopy studies on highly charged radioactive ions.
Following more than a decade of faculty and directorship positions in the Department of Physics, Quantum Engineering, and Nuclear Engineering programs at the Colorado School of Mines (USA), Kyle accepted a position with the McDonald Institute at Queen’s University back in Canada in 2026. Kyle leads several major international research projects focused on the search for exotic new physics using radioactive atoms, and drives major quantum technology development through partnerships with universities, national labs, and industry partners.
Kyle is married to a scientific educator and marine/freshwater biologist, and they have two young children together. They are currently living in Colorado.
