Brian Schmidt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brian Schmidt
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Schmidt at the 2012 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting
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| 12th Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University | |
| In office 1 January 2016 – 31 December 2023 |
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| Chancellor | Gareth Evans Julie Bishop |
| Preceded by | Ian Young |
| Succeeded by | Genevieve Bell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Brian Schmidt
24 February 1967 Missoula, Montana, United States |
| Citizenship | |
| Nationality | American Australian |
| Alma mater | University of Arizona (1989), Harvard University (1993) |
| Spouse(s) | Jennifer M. Gordon |
| Awards | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
| Institutions | Australian National University |
| Thesis | Type II supernovae, expanding photospheres, and the extragalactic distance scale (1993) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert Kirshner |
| Doctoral students | Manisha Caleb |
Brian Paul Schmidt (born 24 February 1967) is an American-Australian astrophysicist. He works at the Australian National University (ANU). From 2016 to 2024, he was the Vice-Chancellor of the ANU.
Brian Schmidt is famous for his research on supernovae. These are huge exploding stars. He used them to study the universe. He shared the 2006 Shaw Prize in Astronomy. He also shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. He won these awards with Saul Perlmutter and Adam Riess. They found evidence that the universe's expansion is actually speeding up. This was a very surprising discovery!
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Early Life and Education
Brian Schmidt was born in Missoula, Montana, USA. His father was a biologist. When Brian was 13, his family moved to Anchorage, Alaska.
He went to Bartlett High School. He finished in 1985. Brian first wanted to be a meteorologist. But he found that job less exciting than he thought. He then decided to study astronomy. He said he thought he would change his mind later, but he never did.
Brian earned two Bachelor's degrees in 1989. One was in Physics and one in Astronomy. He got them from the University of Arizona. He then went to Harvard University. There, he earned his Master's degree in 1992. He got his PhD in Astronomy in 1993. His PhD research looked at a type of supernova. He used them to measure how fast the universe is expanding.
At Harvard, he met Jennifer M. Gordon. She was an Australian student. They got married and moved to Australia in 1994.
Discovering the Accelerating Universe
After his PhD, Brian worked at the Center for Astrophysics. In 1995, he moved to the Australian National University (ANU).
In 1994, Brian Schmidt and Nicholas B. Suntzeff started a team. It was called the High-Z Supernova Search Team. Their goal was to measure how much the universe's expansion was slowing down. In 1995, Brian became the leader of this team.
In 1998, Brian's team made an amazing discovery. They found that the universe's expansion was not slowing down. It was actually speeding up! This was very unexpected. Scientists thought the universe's expansion should be slowing down. Brian first thought it was a mistake. He spent weeks checking his work. But there was no mistake.
His team watched how bright distant exploding stars (supernovae) were. They also measured how much their light was stretched (redshift). They found that these stars were moving away from us faster and faster.
Another team, led by Saul Perlmutter, found the same thing. Both teams' discoveries showed that the universe is accelerating. This led to a new idea: dark energy. Scientists think dark energy is causing the universe to speed up. This discovery was called the "Breakthrough of the Year" in 1998. Brian Schmidt, Adam Riess, and Saul Perlmutter won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for this work.
Other Research and Roles
Brian Schmidt also leads the SkyMapper telescope project. This project is mapping billions of objects in the southern sky. In 2014, his team found a very old star. It had no iron in it. This means it formed very early in the universe.
He is also involved in many science groups. He helps lead Astronomy Australia Limited. He also advises the Questacon Advisory Council. Questacon is a national science and technology center.
Leading the Australian National University
On 1 January 2016, Brian Schmidt became the 12th Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University. This is like being the president of a university. The ANU Chancellor, Professor Gareth Evans, said Brian was a great choice. He said Brian would help the ANU become one of the world's best universities. Brian stepped down from this role at the end of 2023.
Speaking Up for Science
Winning the Nobel Prize gave Brian Schmidt a chance to talk about why science is important.
- Helping Schools: He gave money from his Nobel Prize to a program called PrimaryConnections. This program helps primary school teachers. He believes schools need more teachers trained in "STEM" subjects. STEM means Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. He visits schools to answer kids' questions.
- Funding Research: Brian strongly supports funding for science and medical research. He thinks it's important to have long-term plans for research. He worries that not enough money or planning makes it hard for scientists to do their best work.
- Climate Change: He asks people to trust what most experts say about climate change. He even made a bet that global temperatures would rise. In 2015, he helped present a declaration on climate change. Many Nobel laureates signed it. It was given to the President of France.
Awards and Honours
Brian Schmidt has received many awards.
- In 2000, he won the Malcolm McIntosh Prize.
- In 2001, he received the Australian Academy of Science's Pawsey Medal.
- In 2006, he shared the Shaw Prize in Astronomy.
- In 2007, he shared the Gruber Cosmology Prize.
- In 2011, he won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. He shared it with Adam Riess and Saul Perlmutter. This was for finding that the universe's expansion is speeding up.
- In 2013, he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia. This is a very high honour in Australia.
- In 2015, he shared the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.
- He is a member of important science groups. These include the Royal Society and the United States National Academy of Sciences.
His election certificate to the Royal Society said: "Brian Schmidt's leadership of the High-z Supernova Search Team led to the discovery that the expansion of our universe is accelerating... This discovery completely changed our understanding of the universe. It showed that about 70% of the mass of our Universe is in a previously unknown form which is now usually referred to as 'Dark Energy'."
Personal Life
Brian Schmidt is married to Jennifer Gordon. They met while studying at Harvard. They decided to live in Australia. Brian has dual citizenship for both Australia and the United States.
Vineyard and Winery
Brian and his wife own a small winery. It is called Maipenrai Vineyard and Winery. They started it in 2000. It is near Canberra, Australia. They grow only pinot noir grapes. Their wines have received good reviews. Brian joked that "it's easier to sell your wine when you have a Nobel prize." He even gave a bottle of his wine to the King of Sweden at the Nobel Prize ceremony!
In 2013, Brian joined the board of the Australian Wine Research Institute. He brings his science knowledge and business experience to the wine industry.
See also
- List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards
