Welcome!

Prof. Rayf Shiell,
Department of Physics & Astronomy,
Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive,
Peterborough, ON, K9L 0G2, Canada

T: 1-705-748-1011 x7023
Email: rayfshiell@trentu.ca
Directions to campus can be found here

(You may occasionally see my name spelled ‘Ralph’ – more information at the page here)

Hi, and welcome. My work is a mix of research and teaching, and both bring much joy from what Oscar Wilde termed ‘playing gracefully with ideas.’ Science helps us understand and make useful predictions about nature, through curiosity, measurement, being open to different hypotheses, and weighing up observations. This has led to remarkable advances - from deep inside the human body to far beyond the solar system. Check out the tabs above to read about my research interests, courses I have taught, and a new optics book.

For leisure I often head outdoors, hiking, coaching or playing sports of the season. Here's a chat I had with Clayton Law, Trent student and host of the Naturally Curious podcast, about time spent both in and out of the lab. Clayton asks great questions!