The Origins Institute focuses on some of the most-interesting and most important questions in science.
Since its founding in 2004, the Origins Institute has adopted a transdisciplinary approach to exploring fundamental questions about the universe. Research is conducted by faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate students from academic units in multiple faculties at McMaster University, in collaborations with other institutions across Canada and around the world.
View our upcoming events for researchers and the general public.
Learn about the Planetary Simulator, the first machine on Earth that can simulate conditions on other planets.
To advance scientific discovery and knowledge about the origin(s) of life and its evolution and distribution in the universe, we created Canada’s first Astrobiology graduate program.