Chris Lintott | |
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 Chris Lintott at Jodcast Live 2016, at Jodrell Bank Observatory, UK. | |
| Born | Christopher John Lintott (1980-11-26)26 November 1980 (age 44) |
| Education | Torquay Boys' Grammar School |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | |
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| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Analyses of the early stages of star formation (2006) |
| Doctoral advisor |
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| Doctoral students | Becky Smethurst |
| Website | Official website |
Christopher John LintottFRAS (born 26 November 1980)[3][4] is a Britishastrophysicist, author and broadcaster. He is a Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics at theUniversity of Oxford,[5][6][7] and, since 2023,Gresham Professor of Astronomy atGresham College, London.[8] Lintott is involved in a number ofpopular science projects aimed at bringingastronomy to a wider audience and is also the primary presenter of theBBC television seriesThe Sky at Night, having previously been co-presenter withPatrick Moore until Moore's death in 2012. He co-authoredBang! – The Complete History of the Universe andThe Cosmic Tourist with Moore andQueen guitarist and astrophysicistBrian May.[9][10][11]
Lintott attendedTorquay Boys' Grammar School in Devon. In 1999, while still at school, he won a $500 Earth and Space Sciences award and the Priscilla andBart Bok Honorable Mention Award at theIntel International Science and Engineering Fair for an article on 'Cosmic dust around young stellar objects'.[citation needed] This came from a six-week project at theUniversity of Hertfordshire funded by aNuffield bursary. He readNatural Sciences atMagdalene College, Cambridge, and in 2006 received aPhD inastrophysics fromUniversity College London, for his thesis on the early stages ofstar formation, supervised byOfer Lahav.[12]
As of 2017[update] Lintott is co-director of the Programme on Computational Cosmology and Citizen Science Project Lead in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford,[7][13] and a Research Fellow atNew College, Oxford.[14] He was the Director of Citizen Science Initiatives at theAdler Planetarium inChicago from 2010 until 2012.[15]
His research focuses on galaxy evolution and the application ofastrochemical models of star formation to galaxies beyond theMilky Way; particularly the use ofsulphur compounds as a signature of stars that are in the process of formation.[16][17][18] After a recommendation from Ed Vaizey, formerCulture Minister,Prime Minister David Cameron appointed Lintott as Astronomy Trustee of theNational Maritime Museum (NMM). His appointment ran from 24 June 2010 until 23 June 2014.[19]
Lintott's research has been published in a wide variety ofpeer-reviewed scientific journals.[7][17][18][20][21] He was a Fulford junior research fellow atSomerville College, Oxford between 2006 and 2010.[16][19]
Lintott's research has been funded by theEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), theArts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and theScience and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).[22]
Lintott first appeared on the BBC astronomy programmeThe Sky at Night, presented byPatrick Moore, as a guest in 2000. As Moore's mobility deteriorated, Lintott acquired an increasingly prominent role, often providing on-location reporting from events covered by the programme. In an interview in 2007 withMark Lawson, Moore described him as "eminently suitable" as a presenter.[23] He jointly presented the programme with Moore until the latter's death in December 2012. Since the February 2013 episode, Chris Lintott has been a co-presenter withLucie Green (until December 2013) and withMaggie Aderin-Pocock (since February 2014). In July 2004, Moore suffered a near-fatal bout of food poisoning and Lintott stood in as the sole presenter of that month's episode.[24] It was the only episode which Moore did not present since the show was first broadcast on 24 April 1957 until his death.[25]
Lintott is the co-founder, along withKevin Schawinski, of Galaxy Zoo, an onlinecrowdsourcing project where members of the public can volunteer their time to assist in classifying over a milliongalaxies.(e.g.[2][26][27][28][29]) Lintott stated when commenting on GZ: "One advantage is that you get to see parts of space that have never been seen before. These images were taken by a robotic telescope and processed automatically, so the odds are that when you log on, that first galaxy you see will be one that no human has seen before."[30] This was confirmed by Schawinski: "Most of these galaxies have been photographed by a robotic telescope, and then processed by computer. So this is the first time they will have been seen by human eyes."[31]
Lintott was theprincipal investigator (P.I.) of the Zooniverse citizen science platform for over 15 years.[32][33] Quoting from the Zooniverse Team page: "Astronomer and founder of both Galaxy Zoo and the Zooniverse that grew from it, Chris is interested in how galaxies form and evolve, how citizen science can change the world".[32] Lintott is also the chair of the Citizen Science Alliance, the organisation that produces, maintains and develops The Zooniverse.[34]
In October 2006, Lintott, Patrick Moore and Brian May co-authored a book entitledBang! – The Complete History of the Universe, which was produced by Canopus Books and published byCarlton Books on 23 October 2006.[9] It has been translated into 13 languages and has appeared in paperback. As suggested by the title, the illustrated book is a history of theUniverse from theBig Bang to its eventual predicted end. It is aimed at apopular science audience and claims to make its subject matter easily comprehensible to readers without any knowledge of astronomy.[35]
In October 2012, Lintott, Moore and May co-authored a book entitledThe Cosmic Tourist: The 100 Most Awe-inspiring Destinations in the Universe.[36] On the book's PR page, it is stated: "Take your seats for the greatest tour ever – one that encompasses no less than the whole of the Universe."[37]
Lintott's book,The Crowd and the Cosmos: Adventures in the Zooniverse was released in 2019.[38]
Lintott is aFellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.[39] In 2011, Lintott was awarded theRoyal SocietyKohn Award. He was awarded this (quoting from the Royal Society webpage): "For his excellent engagement with society in matters of science and its societal dimension."[40]
In 2013, Lintott was awarded theOxford Internet Institute Internet and Society Award. He was given this (quoting from the OII website): "in recognition of Galaxy Zoo's outstanding contributions to research by using crowd-sourced citizen science to capitalise on the availability of online big data-sets."[16][39]
In 2014, he received the Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize from theAmerican Astronomical Society. He was awarded this (quoting from the AAS website): "For his insight and creativity that created a transformative approach to science by engaging nonscientists in cutting edge research."[41]
In 2015, he won theInstitute of PhysicsKelvin Medal and Prize. In 2020 he was elected a Legacy Fellow of theAmerican Astronomical Society.[42]
Lintott is a fan and player of the game ofreal tennis, where he represents theOxford University Tennis Club.[43] In 2022, Lintott provided commentary for the broadcast of the2022 Real Tennis World Championship atPrested Hall inFeering, Essex.[44] In 2023, he also provided commentary for the finals of the 2023 Ladies World Championship.[45]
