麻豆传媒

Jocelyn Read is an astrophysicist who studies neutron stars 鈥� the remnant cores of dead stars that didn't quite have enough mass to end up as black holes. A leading binary neutron star expert, she focuses on how matter behaves at the extremely high densities inside neutron stars and how this might be measured from astronomical observations of X-rays, gamma-ray bursts and gravitational waves. 

She and her students work to understand and model how neutron stars interact, collide and radiate energy to learn more about their structure and composition. 

Read joined Cal State Fullerton in 2012 and has received numerous grants for her research. Most recently, she was awarded nearly $1 million from the National Science Foundation to lead a project to recruit and support underrepresented students, in particular Latino students, in gravitational-wave science. The grant supports CSUF and Citrus College students engaged in undergraduate research, as well as CSUF alumni in the doctoral program in gravitational-wave astrophysics at Syracuse University.

A native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Read earned her doctorate in physics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She completed postdoctoral work at the Albert Einstein Institute in Germany and at the University of Mississippi. 

Read, a member of the聽LIGO Scientific Collaboration, serves as associate director of CSUF's Gravitational-Wave Physics and Astronomy Center. She is the recipient of the 2017 "Women of the Year" award in聽the category of science and technology from state Sen. Josh Newman.聽

For additional CSUF materials and resources, please visit these websites:
鈥�	CSUF 麻豆传媒 Center: http://news.fullerton.edu
鈥�	CSUF Gravitational-Wave Physics and Astronomy Center: http://physics.fullerton.edu/gwpac/
鈥�	CSUF Scientists Contribute to First Discovery: http://news.fullerton.edu/gravitational-waves/default.aspx

Jonathan is a scientific advisor at the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, Space for Life, and is an associate professor at the University of Montreal.
Previously, he was a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Research on Exoplanets at the University of Montreal. His research focuses on the kinematics of stars in the solar neighborhood, young star associations, brown dwarfs, and exoplanets.
Recently, he has worked with data from the Gaia mission, which provided direct distance measurements for a billion stars with unprecedented precision. This data represents a true revolution in astrophysics. With this data, Jonathan’s team identified new groups of stars that share the same age and chemical composition, and they found many low-luminosity and low-mass members in already known star groups.
He is also working on identifying cold, isolated planetary-mass objects in space that are not in orbit around a star. These objects are faint and can be located anywhere in the sky, making them difficult to detect, but they are interesting analogs for understanding the atmospheres of giant exoplanets because their physical properties (temperature, clouds, surface gravity, and atmospheric pressure) are similar. The absence of a bright host star also makes it easier to study these isolated objects once their position is pinpointed.

Astrophysics researcher Dr Gourab Giri holds a Master of Science which he obtained from Presidency University in Kolkata in India as well as a doctorate from the Indian Institute of Technology in Indore.
Through his research, he seeks to deepen our understanding of the fundamental processes that shape the universe, from galaxy evolution to cosmic origins. His research focuses on exploring various aspects of galaxy evolution in the cosmos, ranging from the role of supermassive black holes within galaxies to the evolution of galaxies within larger cosmic structures, such as galaxy clusters, where hundreds of galaxies come together. 
Dr Giri’s current research goal is to develop a comprehensive model for extragalactic jet physics. This novel approach has the potential to unify and address multifaceted phenomena within a single framework, paving the way for deeper insights and broader applications in the field.
“I am deeply engaged in leading research on various astrophysical topics,” he says. “Addressing the extensive datasets involved often necessitates the use of modern techniques, such as machine-learning. UP has access to one of South Africa’s premier supercomputing resources, which is essential for conducting high-resolution simulations and complex data analyses that are critical to my research. Additionally, the presence of a well-established radio astronomy group with expertise in observational techniques and the use of cutting-edge telescopes like MeerKAT makes UP an exceptional choice that aligns perfectly with my research objectives.”
For Dr Giri, astrophysics inspires curiosity and critical thinking across generations, encouraging future scientists and innovators to address some of the most pressing global challenges.
“Beyond its intrinsic scientific value, this field drives technological innovation, with advancements in high-performance computing and data analytics finding applications in rocket science, climate modelling and space weather prediction, which help protect vital satellite infrastructure,” he adds.
His research matters, he says, because it satisfies our curiosity about how the universe functions, offering answers to fundamental questions about galaxy evolution.
“This pursuit provides me with immense personal joy, which is essential to my well-being. The techniques and models I develop, such as advancements in big data handling and machine-learning, will not only enhance our understanding of the cosmos but also be transferable to other fields, such as space weather prediction, thus benefitting a broad range of scientific domains.”
His message to undergraduate students is simple: “Stay curious, persevere and be patient; get involved in learning; and remember, hard work never fails.”
When he is not trying to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos, Dr Giri enjoys writing sci-fi and adventure stories, and using his writing skills to convey his research to others.
 

Professor Kshitij Thorat is an astronomer and an associate professor at the University of Pretoria (UP). He is a member of UP’s astronomy group within the Department of Physics at the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. He specialises in doing research with the MeerKAT telescope and using artificial intelligence (AI) in astronomy. He’s part of the team that has solved the mystery of X-shaped radio galaxies with the help of striking images from the MeerKAT telescope and second author of the study whose results will be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.