Ray Jayawardhana
Encyclopedia
Ray Jayawardhana is an astronomer
at the University of Toronto
, where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics, and an award-winning science writer. His primary research areas include the formation and early evolution of stars, brown dwarf
s and planet
s.
As a graduate student at Harvard, he led one of the two teams that discovered a dusty disk around the young star HR 4796A with a large inner hole, possibly carved out by planet formation processes. His group has played a key role in establishing that young brown dwarfs undergo a T Tauri
phase, similar to young Sun-like stars, with evidence for dusty disks and signatures of disk accretion and outflow. Disks have now also been found around sub-brown dwarfs or planemos. Recently, he and his collaborators reported the first direct image and spectroscopy of a likely extra-solar planet around a normal star.
Jayawardhana is the author of Star Factories: The Birth of Stars and Planets (Steck Vaughn, 2000) and a contributing editor to Astronomy magazine. His popular articles have appeared in many publications, including The Economist
, Scientific American
, New Scientist
, Sky and Telescope, Muse, Science and the Times Higher Education Supplement. He is also known for organizing innovative science outreach programs such as the CoolCosmos astronomy poster campaign on the Toronto Transit Commission
.
, he was educated at the prestigious Royal College Colombo
and pursued his higher education in the United States
. He received his BS
degree from Yale
in 1994 and his PhD
from Harvard in 2000. He was a Miller Research Fellow at UC Berkeley for two years and an assistant professor at the University of Michigan
for two years, before moving to Toronto.
in 2003, the Vainu Bappu Gold Medal of the Astronomical Society of India in 2004, and the Early Researcher Award from the Government of Ontario in 2006. He was named Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics in 2008. He was a Dean's Lecturer at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study in 2005 and a Galileo Lecturer for the Canadian Astronomical Society in 2009. He holds a E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship,"awarded to enhance the career development of outstanding and highly promising university faculty who are earning a strong international reputation for original research", from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
of Canada, presented by Prime Minister Stephen Harper
at a ceremony in Ottawa
on March 16, 2009. He has also been named to Canada's Top 40 Under 40.
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...
at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics, and an award-winning science writer. His primary research areas include the formation and early evolution of stars, brown dwarf
Brown dwarf
Brown dwarfs are sub-stellar objects which are too low in mass to sustain hydrogen-1 fusion reactions in their cores, which is characteristic of stars on the main sequence. Brown dwarfs have fully convective surfaces and interiors, with no chemical differentiation by depth...
s and planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s.
As a graduate student at Harvard, he led one of the two teams that discovered a dusty disk around the young star HR 4796A with a large inner hole, possibly carved out by planet formation processes. His group has played a key role in establishing that young brown dwarfs undergo a T Tauri
T Tauri
T Tauri is a variable star in the constellation Taurus, the prototype of the T Tauri stars. It was discovered in October 1852 by John Russell Hind...
phase, similar to young Sun-like stars, with evidence for dusty disks and signatures of disk accretion and outflow. Disks have now also been found around sub-brown dwarfs or planemos. Recently, he and his collaborators reported the first direct image and spectroscopy of a likely extra-solar planet around a normal star.
Jayawardhana is the author of Star Factories: The Birth of Stars and Planets (Steck Vaughn, 2000) and a contributing editor to Astronomy magazine. His popular articles have appeared in many publications, including The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
, New Scientist
New Scientist
New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
, Sky and Telescope, Muse, Science and the Times Higher Education Supplement. He is also known for organizing innovative science outreach programs such as the CoolCosmos astronomy poster campaign on the Toronto Transit Commission
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
.
Background
Jayawardhana was born and raised in Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, he was educated at the prestigious Royal College Colombo
Royal College Colombo
The Royal College of Colombo was founded in January 1835 in Colombo. It is considered to be the leading Public School in Sri Lanka...
and pursued his higher education in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He received his BS
BS
BS, B.S., Bs or bs may refer to:-Academics:*Bachelor of Science degree, also abbreviated BSc*Bachelor of Surgery*Behavioural sciences-Standards:*Venezuelan bolívar's currency sign*Bolivian boliviano's currency sign...
degree from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
in 1994 and his PhD
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...
from Harvard in 2000. He was a Miller Research Fellow at UC Berkeley for two years and an assistant professor at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
for two years, before moving to Toronto.
Awards
Jayawardhana has received the Science Writing Award from the American Institute of PhysicsAmerican Institute of Physics
The American Institute of Physics promotes science, the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies...
in 2003, the Vainu Bappu Gold Medal of the Astronomical Society of India in 2004, and the Early Researcher Award from the Government of Ontario in 2006. He was named Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics in 2008. He was a Dean's Lecturer at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study in 2005 and a Galileo Lecturer for the Canadian Astronomical Society in 2009. He holds a E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship,"awarded to enhance the career development of outstanding and highly promising university faculty who are earning a strong international reputation for original research", from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada is a Canadian government agency that provides grants for research in the natural sciences and in engineering. Its mandate is to promote and assist research....
of Canada, presented by Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
at a ceremony in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
on March 16, 2009. He has also been named to Canada's Top 40 Under 40.