Jo Dunkley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jo Dunkley
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Jo Dunkley delivering a plenary lecture in 2015
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Joanna Dunkley
1979/1980 (age 45–46) |
| Education | North London Collegiate School |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge (MSci) University of Oxford (DPhil) |
| Spouse(s) | Faramerz Dabhoiwala |
| Children | two |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Cosmology Cosmic microwave background Neutrinos |
| Institutions | Princeton University University of Oxford |
| Thesis | Modern methods for cosmological parameter estimation : beyond the adiabatic paradigm (2005) |
| Doctoral advisor | Pedro G. Ferreira |
| Notable students | Renée Hložek |
Joanna Dunkley is a British astrophysicist and a Professor of Physics at Princeton University. She studies how the Universe began and what it's made of. She uses special telescopes like the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the Simons Observatory to learn about the Cosmic microwave background (CMB). The CMB is like an echo from the early Universe.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Joanna Dunkley went to North London Collegiate School when she was younger. Later, she studied at the University of Cambridge. In 2001, she earned a Master of Science (MSci) degree in Natural Sciences, focusing on theoretical physics.
After Cambridge, she moved to Oxford for her advanced studies. In 2005, she received her Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree from the University of Oxford. Her research was guided by the astrophysicist Pedro G. Ferreira.
Exploring the Universe
Professor Dunkley's main research area is cosmology. This is the study of the history and future of the Universe. She uses powerful telescopes to observe the Universe. These include the Atacama Cosmology Telescope in Chile and the Simons Observatory. She also works with the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST).
Early Career and Discoveries
After finishing her DPhil, Dr. Dunkley joined Princeton University in 2006. She worked as a postdoctoral research fellow with scientists David Spergel and Lyman Page. They were working on NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). This probe helped us understand the early Universe.
David Spergel said that Dr. Dunkley quickly made big contributions. Her work helped create what we now call the "standard model of cosmology." This model explains how the Universe works. Soon after, she started working with the European Space Agency (ESA) Planck satellite. The Planck satellite gave an even clearer view of the Cosmic microwave background (CMB) than WMAP.
In 2007, Dr. Dunkley moved to Oxford. By 2014, she became a Professor of Astrophysics there. She led the analysis for the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. She used a method called gravitational lensing to find dark matter. Dark matter is a mysterious substance that we can't see. Her work at Oxford also helped figure out how many types of neutrinos might exist in the Universe.
In 2013, images of the CMB were released. These images showed the Universe when it was only 400,000 years old. That's incredibly young! Professor Dunkley combines complex physics with statistics. She uses her models to understand the Universe from these observations. She helps estimate how much the Universe weighs. She also figures out the amounts of dark energy and dark matter. Dark energy is another mysterious force that makes the Universe expand faster.
Return to Princeton
Professor Dunkley returned to Princeton in 2016. Her new research uses the Simons Observatory. She is looking for "new physics." This means she's searching for new particles or complex ideas that might have existed when the Universe was very young. In 2017, she won the Breakthrough Prize for Physics. She shared this award with 22 other scientists from the NASA WMAP Science Team.
Sharing Science with Everyone
Professor Dunkley loves to share her knowledge. She has given many public talks and seminars. She has appeared on TV shows like BBC Stargazing Live and Dara Ó Briain's Science Club.
Her first book, Our Universe: An Astronomer's Guide, was published in 2019. She plans to give workshops and talks for students. This is to help more people learn about the important contributions women have made to astronomy.
Awards and Recognitions
Professor Dunkley has received many awards for her amazing work. Some of them include:
- 2024 – Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
- 2020 – New Horizons in Physics Prize
- 2019 – Appointed Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to Science
- 2017 – Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (shared with the NASA WMAP Science Team)
- 2016 – Rosalind Franklin Award and Lecture
- 2015 – Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award
- 2015 – Philip Leverhulme Prize
- 2014 – Fowler Prize by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS)
- 2013 – Maxwell Medal and Prize
- 2012 – Gruber Prize in Cosmology (shared with the WMAP team)
- 2010 – Starting grant from the European Research Council (ERC)
- 2007 – NASA Group Achievement Award (shared with the WMAP team)
Personal Life
Joanna Dunkley has two children. Her partner is the historian Faramerz Dabhoiwala.
See also
In Spanish: Jo Dunkley para niños
