Belinda Wilkes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Belinda J. Wilkes
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Wilkes in 2012
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Staffordshire, England
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| Alma mater | Wolverhampton Girls' High School, University of St. Andrews, University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | Astrophysicist |
Belinda Jane Wilkes is a top Astrophysicist (a scientist who studies space and stars) at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). This observatory is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. She used to be the director of the Chandra X-ray Center.
Contents
Belinda Wilkes's Journey to Space Science
Early Life and Schooling
Belinda Wilkes was born in Staffordshire, England. She grew up in a town called Albrighton, which is in Shropshire. For high school, she went to Wolverhampton Girls' High School.
University Studies and Early Career
After high school, she studied Physics and Astronomy at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She earned her first degree there. Later, she got her PhD in Astronomy from the University of Cambridge in England.
In 1982, she moved to the United States. She worked at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory. In 1984, she joined the High Energy Astrophysics Division at the SAO. This division is part of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.
What Belinda Wilkes Studies
Exploring Quasars
Belinda Wilkes's main research is about objects called quasars. Quasars are like super bright lights in the universe. They are actually galaxies that have huge black holes at their centers. These black holes are super-massive, meaning they are incredibly big! Quasars are some of the brightest things we can see in the universe.
Her Contributions to Science
Belinda has written over 165 scientific papers. These papers are published in important science journals. She has also been part of many professional groups and committees. She helps review new ideas for space telescopes and other projects.
She is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. This means she is recognized as an important member of the astronomy community. She is also a member of the International Astronomical Union.
Awards and Recognition
Honors for Her Work
Belinda Wilkes has received many awards for her amazing work. In 2018, she became an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge. This was her old university.
In 2020, she was named a fellow of the American Physical Society. She received this honor for helping us understand active galaxies. These are galaxies with very active centers, like quasars. She was also recognized for her great leadership at the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
The American Astronomical Society also named her a fellow in 2021. This was for her strong leadership of the Chandra X-ray Center. In the same year, she became a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
In 2023, she won the Richard Glazebrook Medal and Prize. The Institute of Physics gave her this award. It was for her excellent leadership of the Chandra X-Ray Centre.
See also
- List of women in leadership positions on astronomical instrumentation projects
