Team Canada 2026: team profiles

2026 Team Canada

Meet members of Team Canada for the 2026 International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Senior team

Chen Li

Hi! I’m Chen, a Grade 12 student at Gleneagle Secondary School in BC, and I’m super excited to be representing Canada at the 19th IOAA!

I first got into astronomy through astrophotography. There was something addictive about pointing a telescope at what looked like an empty patch of sky, collecting hours of data, and eventually watching a nebula or star cluster appear on my screen. Before long, though, I started asking more questions about what I was actually looking at, which pulled me deeper into physics and astrophysics.

Over time, I became just as interested in understanding the physics behind what I was observing. I especially enjoy exploring astrophysics because it turns beautiful objects in the sky into questions about how stars evolve, how systems move, and how we can use physics to understand things that are incredibly far away. I like the feeling of starting with something I can observe and then gradually working backward to the physical ideas behind it.

Daniel Cui

Hi! My name is Daniel, and I’m a Grade 12 student at the University of Toronto Schools. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to represent Canada at this year’s IOAA.

My fascination with astrophysics grew in large part from my love of science fiction, especially hard science fiction. Some of my favourites are The Three-Body Problem trilogy, the Xeelee Sequence, and Isaac Asimov’s short stories, particularly “The Last Question” and “Nightfall.” I was also really impressed by the film adaptation of Project Hail Mary, especially the way Ryland Grace uses astrophysics and physics concepts to piece together where he is and what is happening around him.

Outside of astrophysics, I enjoy swimming, coding, playing Ultimate Frisbee with my friends, and playing Tetris competitively. I also watch way too many movies. Some of my favourites are The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dune, and the first two Terminator movies.

I’m really looking forward to travelling to Vietnam, meeting participants from around the world, and sharing an amazing week of astrophysics with everyone!

Ryan He

Hello! My name is Ryan He and I am a rising 12th grader at Pickering College in Newmarket Ontario. I am extremely honoured to be able to represent Canada at the 2026 IOAA. What fascinates me the most about astronomy is that even though humanity has been looking up to the stars for thousands of years, there is still so much left to explore.

My favourite areas of astronomy are astrophysics and cosmology, especially learning about how objects interact with each other and how the universe changes over time. I am particularly interested in black holes, stellar evolution, and the mysteries that still challenge our understanding of the universe. I look forward to learning even more and meeting others who share the same passion for astronomy at the IOAA.

Eric Hou

Hi! I’m Eric Hou, a senior at Los Gatos High School in California, and I’m deeply honored to represent Canada at the 2026 IOAA. I got into astronomy partly because it gives me an excuse to do a ridiculous amount of math and physics, but also partly because it reminds me that most of my problems are, astronomically speaking, pretty small.

My favorite topic is cosmology because I like starting with small questions, such as how the universe works. Outside astronomy, you can find me doing math, playing badminton and piano, trying new foods, and debating the meaning of life with friends.

I’m really excited to go to Hanoi, meet so many bright minds from all around the world, and make some great memories at IOAA!

Vadym Shvydun

Hi everyone, my name is Vadym. I’m a senior at Kingston Secondary School, and I’m incredibly excited to represent Canada at IOAA in Vietnam! I was born and raised in Ukraine, but I moved to Canada after the start of the Russian invasion in 2022.

I’ve always loved the grand scale of astronomy. As a child, I read more Hawking books than I can count, and I’ve been watching YouTube channels like Cool Worlds, Anton Petrov, and melodysheep for as long as I can remember. I’m really not sure how I came in contact with astro olympiads specifically, but one thing led to another and I’ve been preparing for the last year and a bit.

Outside astronomy, I do Ukrainian folk dance, play chess (about 1400 on Chess.com rapid), do martial arts (Kung Fu, Karate, BJJ, and MMA), play all types of guitars, and enjoy coding random stuff. I also game a lot. My taste is quite weird: I swing between modded Minecraft, Marvel Rivals, Supercell games, Kerbal Space Program, Asphalt 9, Civilization VI, and a bunch of other niche games.

I love talking to really intelligent people about really random stuff. How many granola bars are in New York City right now? Is a slipper more aerodynamic than a shoe? How many jars of Nutella would it take to power Canada for a year? It depends on the energy extraction method: about 100 billion jars, 750 g each, if you just extract the nutritional value, but only about 60 jars if you throw them into a black hole and extract the accretion heat at 45% efficiency, in case you’re wondering.

Astro olympiads have really grown my interest in specific subfields and helped my intuition for all things space. If you’re preparing for CAAO or IOAA, feel free to reach out. I’m @Blanwhit on Discord.