Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI, Perimeter, PITP) is an independent research centre in foundational theoretical physics located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1999 by Canadian philanthropist Mike Lazaridis. He gave $100 million – one third of his fortune – to establish an institute for theoretical physics. He hired Howard Burton as Perimeter’s first Director and forms a Board of Directors. PI officially launches on October 23, 2000. In 2025, the PI is celebrating its 25th anniversary and the time line of the institute and its achievement can be found [https://perimeterinstitute.ca/about-us/our-story here].

Perimeter’s first 25 years have been marked by turning points, scientific inflection moments where new ideas, tools, or perspectives changed what’s possible. This [https://perimeterinstitute.ca/turning-points collection celebrates 27] such breakthroughs across nine research areas. Some opened new questions. Some delivered long-sought answers. All pushed physics forward, and helped shape the Institute into the vibrant research hub it is today.

The original building, designed by Saucier + Perrotte, opened in 2004 and was awarded a Governor General's Medal for Architecture in 2006. The Stephen Hawking Centre, designed by Teeple Architects, was opened in 2011 and was LEED Silver certified in 2015.

In addition to research, Perimeter also provides scientific training and educational outreach activities to the general public. This is done in part through Perimeter's Educational Outreach team. Provided by Wikipedia