Gillian Wright (astronomer) facts for kids

Gillian Susan Wright is a famous Scottish astronomer. She leads the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, UK. Dr. Wright helped build the amazing James Webb Space Telescope. She was the main European scientist for its special MIRI camera. In 2006, she received an award for her great work in science.

Gillian Wright's Early Life and Studies

Gillian Wright went to school in Hamilton, Scotland. She studied many subjects, including Chemistry, English, French, Maths, and Physics. Later, she went to the University of Glasgow. There, she studied Physics, which was called Natural Philosophy back then.

After Glasgow, she continued her studies in London. She earned a master's degree in 1982. Her master's project looked at how to build a large telescope. This telescope would fly on a balloon to study infrared light. She thought about light mirrors and how to build the telescope.

Dr. Wright then earned her PhD in 1986. Her PhD research focused on galaxies that were crashing into each other. She found that these colliding galaxies had very bright infrared light. This bright light was likely caused by many new stars forming quickly.

Gillian Wright's Career in Astronomy

After finishing her PhD, Dr. Wright worked at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh. She then moved to Hawaii to work at the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. From 1995 to 1997, she led the team that built new instruments for the telescope.

In 1997, Dr. Wright returned to Edinburgh. She joined the new UK Astronomy Technology Centre. Today, she is the director of this important center. She also teaches at the University of Edinburgh.

Exploring Space with Telescopes

Dr. Wright has worked on many exciting space telescope projects. She helped with the SPIRE instrument on the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory. This telescope observed space from 2009 to 2013.

Currently, she is a lead scientist for the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). MIRI is a key part of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Dr. Wright is the main European scientist for this camera. She is also part of the telescope's science team. MIRI was finished in 2012. It was then sent to NASA to be added to the telescope. The James Webb Space Telescope launched into space on December 25, 2021.

Awards and Recognitions

Dr. Wright has received several important awards for her work. In 2006, she was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award. This was for her great contributions to science.

In 2023, she received an even higher award. She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This award recognized her amazing work in astronomy. It also honored her role in international space missions.

She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This means she is a respected member of Scotland's national academy of science and letters.