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Stephen Smartt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stephen J. Smartt CBE FRS (born 9 November 1968) is an astrophysicist from Northern Ireland who specialises in stellar evolution, supernovae and time domain sky surveys.[1] He is credited with the discovery of stars that explode as supernovae, measuring their mass, luminosity and the chemical elements synthesized.[1] Smartt is a Professor of Astrophysics at the School of Mathematics and Physics at Queen's University Belfast.[2] He is a patron of Northern Ireland Humanists.[3]

Education

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Born and raised in Belfast, Smartt was educated at Belfast Royal Academy and studied physics and applied mathematics at Queen’s University Belfast. He was awarded a PhD in astrophysics in 1996.[1]

Career

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He worked at the Isaac Newton Group of telescopes and held a fellowship at the University of Cambridge. Smartt returned to Belfast in 2004 and established a group working on stellar evolution, supernovae and time domain sky surveys.[citation needed] In September 2022 Smartt was appointed the Wetton Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford and Director of the Hintze Centre for Astrophysical Surveys.

Honours and awards

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Smartt was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to science.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Stephen Smartt | Royal Society". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Stephen Smartt". Queen's University Belfast. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  3. ^ "New Northern Ireland Humanists patron: Professor Stephen Smartt". Humanists UK. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  4. ^ "No. 63714". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 2022. p. B10.
  5. ^ "Stephen J Smartt". Royal Irish Academy. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Stephen Smartt". Royal Society. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Stephen Smartt". Queen's University Belfast. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
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