Andrzej Udalski
Encyclopedia
Professor Andrzej Udalski, PhD
(born 22 January 1957 in Łódź, Poland) is a Polish
astronomer
and director of the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw
. He is also head of the Department of Observational Astrophysics at Astronomical Observatory, the head and project manager of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment
and editor of the quarterly journal
Acta Astronomica
.
He graduated from the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw in 1980. In the same year he was employed at the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw. He received his doctorate in 1988 and then completed a two-year Postdoctoral Research Associate at York University
in Toronto
, Canada
.
In April 1992 he created the OGLE
project that is still in existence. In 1995-1996 he took part in the construction of the Warsaw Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory
in Chile
. In 2001 he built a wide-angle mosaic CCD
camera with more than 65 million light-sensitive elements. Along with the OGLE team he is also a co-discoverer of 14 extra-solar planets discovered by the technique of gravitational microlensing
.
He has authored or co-authored nearly 400 scientific papers. In 1996 he was honored by the Prime Minister for outstanding scientific achievements. In 2002 he won the prize of the Foundation for Polish Science (the so-called "Polish Nobel"). In 2009 he received a 2.5 million Euro grant from the program Ideas of the European Research Council that aims to support innovative research projects.
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(born 22 January 1957 in Łódź, Poland) is a Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
and director of the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
. He is also head of the Department of Observational Astrophysics at Astronomical Observatory, the head and project manager of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment
Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment
The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment or OGLE is a Polish astronomical project based at the University of Warsaw that is chiefly concerned with discovering dark matter using the microlensing technique. Since the project began in 1992, it has discovered several extrasolar planets as a side...
and editor of the quarterly journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
Acta Astronomica
Acta Astronomica
Acta Astronomica is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering astronomy and astrophysics. It was founded in 1925 by the Polish astronomer Tadeusz Banachiewicz. Initially, the journal published articles in Latin, later English, French, and German were added as allowed journal languages. Today, all...
.
He graduated from the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw in 1980. In the same year he was employed at the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw. He received his doctorate in 1988 and then completed a two-year Postdoctoral Research Associate at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
In April 1992 he created the OGLE
Ogle
Ogle may refer to:*ogle, to stareas, or from, a surname* The Ogle family of Northumberland, England** Benjamin Ogle, Governor of Maryland from 1798 to 1801** Sir Chaloner Ogle, 1st Baronet , British Admiral...
project that is still in existence. In 1995-1996 he took part in the construction of the Warsaw Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory
Las Campanas Observatory
Las Campanas Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Carnegie Institution for Science It was established in 1969 and remains the primary observing site of that institution. The headquarters is located in La Serena, Chile and the observatory is in the southern Atacama...
in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. In 2001 he built a wide-angle mosaic CCD
Charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...
camera with more than 65 million light-sensitive elements. Along with the OGLE team he is also a co-discoverer of 14 extra-solar planets discovered by the technique of gravitational microlensing
Gravitational microlensing
Gravitational microlensing is an astronomical phenomenon due to the gravitational lens effect. It can be used to detect objects ranging from the mass of a planet to the mass of a star, regardless of the light they emit. Typically, astronomers can only detect bright objects that emit lots of light ...
.
He has authored or co-authored nearly 400 scientific papers. In 1996 he was honored by the Prime Minister for outstanding scientific achievements. In 2002 he won the prize of the Foundation for Polish Science (the so-called "Polish Nobel"). In 2009 he received a 2.5 million Euro grant from the program Ideas of the European Research Council that aims to support innovative research projects.
External links
- Homepage in Astronomical Observatory of Warsaw University
- Homepage of the OGLE project
- List of publications in ADSAstrophysics Data SystemThe Astrophysics Data System , developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration , is an online database of over eight million astronomy and physics papers from both peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed sources...