About Me

Oh no! Somebody has driven a pin through my skull!

Latest projects

  1. 1.Search for the first galaxies

  2. 2.Understand galaxy morphology

  3. 3.Find extragalactic planets

  4. 4.Keep kids and wife happy

  5. 5.Drink beer

Click here to download my CV as a PDF file

 
 

Mini-bio:

  1. •Professor & Associate Chair, Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto.

  2. •BSc (UBC), DPhil (Oxford).

  3. •Post-doctoral work at the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (National Research Council of Canada), the Royal Greenwich Observatory  and the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge University.

  4. •Current Committees: Advisory Board for Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics; Chair, Joint Committee for Space Astronomy; Vice-Chair, AURA Oversight Committee for Gemini; CASCA Long-range Planning Committee; James Webb Space Telescope Advisory Committee; Extragalactic Chair, Hubble Space Telescope Time Allocation Committee (Cycle 18); Chair, NSERC Evaluation Group for Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology (PHYS01) and Near-Earth and Space Physics (PHYS02).

  5. •Honors & Awards: Particle Physics & Astronomy Research Council Advanced Fellowship; Premier’s Research Excellence Award; NSERC Steacie Fellowship; Canada Foundation for Innovation Career Award; University of Toronto Outstanding Teaching Award; CASCA P. G. Martin Award

  6. •Outreach: Honorary President, Toronto Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

 

Coming (eventually) to the skies near you is the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. Canada is participating in the project. JWST will be coolest thing ever and then some. In fact, I wish I could cryofreeze myself and thaw out in a few years because I can’t wait for the launch of this thing…

My nomogram in Sumerian. We owe these guys a lot for inventing agriculture, abstract mathematics, the wheel and writing (not to mention a lot of astronomy). Thanks, ancient dudes!

Made on a Mac

Things I suck at (very incomplete list):

  1. •1. Soldering. If you are a student working with me, please note that for the good of humanity it is your duty to stop me from soldering anything.

  2. •2. Singing. If you hear me singing you are allowed to throw things at me to get me to stop.