Charles William Hellaby is a South African mathematician who is an associate professor of applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, working in the field of cosmology.[1] He is a member of the International Astronomical Union[2] and a member of the Baháʼí Faith.[3]
Charles William Hellaby | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | South African |
| Education | University of St Andrews |
| Alma mater | Queen's University |
| Known for | Studies in inhomogeneous cosmology and general relativity |
| Spouse | Shirifat (Sharifa) Adonis |
| Children | Blake Zayn Hellaby Zoe Munirih Hellaby |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Applied mathematics Cosmology |
| Institutions | University of Cape Town |
| Academic advisors | Kayll Lake |
| Website | Prof Hellaby at UCT |
Life
editHellaby was born to Rev. William Allen Meldrum Hellaby and Emily Madeline Hellaby. His twin brother, Mark Edwin Hellaby, pursued a career in literature while his younger brother, Julian Meldrum Hellaby, took to music as a career.[4] He obtained a BSc (Physics & Astronomy) at the University of St Andrews, Scotland in 1977. He completed his MSc (Relativity) at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario in 1981 and his PhD (Relativity) at Queen's University in 1985.[1]
From 1985 to 1988 he was a Post Doctoral Researcher at the University of Cape Town under George Ellis. In 1989 he was appointed a lecturer at the University of Cape Town.[1][5]
Hellaby is a member of the International Astronomical Union (Division J Galaxies and Cosmology), having previously been a member of Division VIII Galaxies & the Universe and subsequently Commission 47 Cosmology.[2]
Research
editHis research interests include:
- Inhomogeneous cosmology. Standard cosmology assumes a smooth homogeneous universe, but the real universe is very lumpy
- Inhomogeneous cosmological models - their evolution, geometry and singularities
- Non-linear structure formation in the universe
- Extracting the geometry of the cosmos from observations
- The Lemaitre–Tolman cosmological model
- The Szekeres cosmological model
- Junction conditions in GR
- Dense black holes
- Local inhomogeneities and the Swiss cheese model
He has also worked on
- The models of Vaidya, Schwarzschild–Kruskal–Szekeres & Kinnersley
- Classical signature change
- Cosmic strings
- Gravitational collapse
Hellaby co-authored Structures in the Universe by Exact Methods: Formation, Evolution, Interactions[6] in which applications of inhomogenous solutions to Albert Einstein's field equations of cosmology are reviewed. The structure of galaxy clusters, galaxies with central black holes and supernovae dimming can be studied with the aid of inhomogenous models.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c Staff profile: Charles Hellaby, University of Cape Town, archived from the original on 11 November 2012, retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ a b "International Astronomical Union". IAU. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ "My Faith", Charles Hellaby home page, archived from the original on 10 July 2015, retrieved 24 January 2016
- ^ "Bahá'í Faith Emily Hellaby was joint head girl with future Prime Minister". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 24 September 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ a b Queen's Alumni Review (PDF). Queen's University, Kingston. 2010. p. 61. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ Bolejko, K.; Krasiński, A.; Hellaby, C.; Célérier, M.N. (2010). Structures in the Universe by Exact Methods: Formation, Evolution, Interactions. Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-76914-3. Retrieved 20 August 2019.