David Charbonneau | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Citizenship | Canadian, U.S.A. |
| Education | University of Toronto (BSc) Harvard University (PhD) |
| Known for | Detection and characterization ofexoplanets |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Harvard University |
| Thesis | Shadows and Reflections of Extrasolar Planets (2001) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert W. Noyes, Timothy M. Brown |
| Doctoral students | Heather A. Knutson |
David Brian Charbonneau is a professor ofAstronomy atHarvard University. His research focuses on the development of novel techniques for the detection and characterization ofexoplanets orbiting nearby,Sun-like stars.
David Charbonneau was born inOttawa, Ontario.[1] He is the son of Brian Charbonneau, a geologist, and Sylvia Charbonneau, a physician.[2][3]
When he was around 12 years old, he visitedPacific Rim National Park with his family, where he spent time playing intide pools and observing the variety of organisms that lived in theintertidal zone. He credits this experience with sparking an early interest in science.[4] When he was in high school, he readStephen Hawking'sA Brief History of Time. Intrigued by the ideas in the book, he decided to pursue studies in physics and astronomy, rather than biology.[5][4]
Charbonneau received a Bachelor of Science degree in math, physics, and astronomy from theUniversity of Toronto in 1996. At the suggestion of his friendSara Seager, he applied to the graduate program in astronomy atHarvard University and was accepted.[1][4] As a graduate student in 1999, he used a 4-inch telescope to make the first detection of an exoplanet eclipsing (or transiting) its parent star, which yielded the first ever constraint on the composition of a planet outside the Solar system. He earned a PhD in astronomy in 2001.[6]
In 2004, theAstronomical Society of the Pacific awarded him theRobert J. Trumpler Award for his graduate thesis entitledShadows and Reflections of Extrasolar Planets.[7]
Charbonneau was aR. A. Millikan Postdoctoral Scholar in Astronomy at theCalifornia Institute of Technology from 2001 until 2004. He returned to Harvard in 2004 where he joined the faculty of the Department of Astronomy.[1][6]
Charbonneau was a founding member of theTrans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey, which used a worldwide network of humble automated telescopes to survey hundreds of thousands of stars to detect 5 more exoplanets by this technique. Charbonneau also pioneered the use of space-based observatories to undertake the first studies of the atmospheres of these distant worlds: In 2001 he used theHubble Space Telescope to study directly the chemical make-up of the atmosphere enshrouding one of these exoplanets, and in 2005, he led the team that used theSpitzer Space Telescope to make the first direct detection of the light emitted by an exoplanet. He is currently leading the NSF-fundedMEarth Project and is a member of the NASAKepler Mission Team. Each of these projects aims to detect Earth-like planets that might be suitable abodes for life beyond theSolar System.[citation needed]
Charbonneau is married to Margaret Bourdeaux, a global health advocate and physician,[11] with whom he has four daughters.[12] His sister-in-law isCarolyn Bourdeaux.[13]
| International | |
|---|---|
| Academics | |
