Maura Ann McLaughlin (born 1972)[1] is an astrophysics professor at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia known for her work on fast radio bursts (FRBs).[2][3][4][5]
Maura McLaughlin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Maura Ann McLaughlin May 1972 (age 52)[1] |
| Alma mater | Pennsylvania State University (BS) Cornell University (PhD) |
| Spouse | Duncan Lorimer |
| Awards | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
| Institutions | West Virginia University Jodrell Bank Observatory University of Manchester |
| Thesis | Multi-wavelength studies of rotation-driven pulsars (2001) |
| Doctoral advisor | James M. Cordes[1] |
| Website | physics |
Education
editMcLaughlin grew up in Oreland, Pennsylvania.[6] She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the Pennsylvania State University in 1994. She obtained a PhD in Astronomy and Space Sciences from Cornell University in 2001 advised by James M. Cordes.[1][7]
Career and research
editMcLaughlin is known for her work on furthering the research on gravitational waves and for her dedication to the Pulsar Search Collaboratory.[8]
As of 2024[update] McLaughlin is a professor in Astronomy and Physics at West Virginia University.[9]
McLaughlin served as chair of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) collaboration.[10] The team was originally funded by a 6.5 million dollar award given to them by the National Science Foundation as part of the Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) program and is now an National Science Foundation (NSF) Physics Frontier Center.[11] McLaughlin was also fundamental in the discovery of the double-pulsar system as well as in the discovery of several new pulsars.[9] McLaughlin dedicates her time to the Pulsar Search Collaboratory located in Green Bank, West Virginia. The Pulsar Search Collaboratory involves high school students in a collaborative effort with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) to further information and discover new pulsars.[8]
McLaughlin conducts her research on pulsars using the Green Bank Telescope, the Arecibo Observatory and previously the Jodrell Bank Observatory at the University of Manchester.[2]
Awards and honors
editMcLaughlin was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2021 and a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2024.[12][13] Other awards and honours include:
- Cottrell Scholar Award[when?]
- Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship[when?]
- PIRE Program Award[6]
- In 2023 she was awarded the Shaw Prize in Astronomy for co-discovery of FRBs[5]
Personal life
editMcLaughlin is married to Duncan Lorimer, a physics professor also at West Virginia University, with whom she has three children.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d McLaughtlin, Maura Ann (2001). Multi-wavelength studies of rotation-driven pulsars. cornell.edu (PhD thesis). Cornell University. OCLC 51595146. ProQuest 304690043.
- ^ a b M A McLaughlin; A G Lyne; D R Lorimer; et al. (16 February 2006). "Transient radio bursts from rotating neutron stars". Nature. 439 (7078): 817–820. arXiv:astro-ph/0511587. Bibcode:2006Natur.439..817M. doi:10.1038/NATURE04440. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 16482150. Wikidata Q28297741.
- ^ John Antoniadis; Paulo C C Freire; Norbert Wex; et al. (1 April 2013). "A massive pulsar in a compact relativistic binary". Science. 340 (6131): 448, 1233232. arXiv:1304.6875. Bibcode:2013Sci...340..448A. doi:10.1126/SCIENCE.1233232. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 23620056. Wikidata Q34341376.
- ^ S. P. Tendulkar; C. G. Bassa; J. M. Cordes; et al. (4 January 2017). "The Host Galaxy and Redshift of the Repeating Fast Radio Burst FRB 121102". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 834 (2): 7–7. arXiv:1701.01100. Bibcode:2017ApJ...834L...7T. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/834/2/L7. ISSN 2041-8205. Wikidata Q57628394.
- ^ a b "Shaw Prize 2023". shawprize.org.
- ^ a b Festival, USA Science. "USA Science and Engineering Festival - McLaughlin Maura". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ "Exotic Stars Are Testing Einstein's Predictions | Benefunder". benefunder.com. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
- ^ a b c "WVU Astrophysicist Making Waves, Discovering New Pulsars". The Neuron. Winter 2011. [failed verification]
- ^ a b "Scientist Spotlight – Dr. Maura McLaughlin". Science & Research. 2011-09-21. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ Emmanuel Fonseca; Timothy T. Pennucci; Justin A. Ellis; et al. (1 December 2016). "The NANOGrav nine-year data set: mass and geometric measurements of binary millisecond pulsars". The Astrophysical Journal. 832 (2): 167–167. arXiv:1603.00545. Bibcode:2016ApJ...832..167F. doi:10.3847/0004-637X/832/2/167. ISSN 0004-637X. Wikidata Q57450560.
- ^ "Gravitational Waves Detected 100 Years After Einstein's Prediction". LIGO Lab | Caltech. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ "APS Fellow Archive". aps.org. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- ^ "National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members". nasonline.org. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.