Duncan Lorimer | |
|---|---|
 Duncan Lorimer in 2023 | |
| Born | Duncan Ross Lorimer (1969-05-09)May 9, 1969 (age 56)[1] |
| Education | Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College[2] |
| Alma mater | University of Wales (BSc) University of Manchester (MSc, PhD) |
| Spouse | Maura McLaughlin |
| Awards | Shaw Prize (2023) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Pulsars |
| Institutions | West Virginia University Cornell University University of Manchester |
| Thesis | Galactic population of millisecond and normal pulsars (1996) |
| Doctoral advisor | Andrew Lyne Matthew Bailes |
| Website | physics |
Duncan Ross LorimerFRS (born 1969) is a British-born American astrophysicist. He is a professor of physics and astronomy atWest Virginia University, known for the discovery of the firstfast radio burst in 2007.[3][4][5][6][7]
Lorimer was educated atQueen Elizabeth Sixth Form College andUniversity of Wales College atCardiff where he studiedAstrophysics.[2] He received hisMSc andPhD from the University of Manchester in 1991 and 1994, respectively, for research carried out atJodrell Bank Observatory supervised byAndrew Lyne, Dick Manchester andMatthew Bailes.[1]
Lorimer held appointments at University of Manchester (Lecturer, 1994–1995); the Max-Planck-Institute for Radio Astronomy (postdoctoralfellow, 1995–1998); Cornell University (postdoctoral Fellow, 1998–2001); University of Manchester (Royal Society University Research Fellow, 2001–2006) and West Virginia University (Faculty, 2006–present).
The first fast radio burst was discovered in 2007 when Lorimer assigned his student David Narkevic atWest Virginia University to look through archival data taken in 2001 by theParkes radio dish in Australia.[8] Analysis of the survey data found a 30-janskydispersed burst which occurred on July 24, 2001,[9] less than 5 milliseconds in duration, located 3° from theSmall Magellanic Cloud. The burst became known as the Lorimer Burst or FRB 010724.[10]
In 2023, he was awarded theShaw Prize in Astronomy.[2][11] He was elected aFellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2024.[12]
Lorimer's wifeMaura McLaughlin is also a professor atWest Virginia University. They have three children.[13]
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