Hiranya Peiris Explained

Hiranya Peiris
Birth Name:Hiranya Vajramani Peiris
Birth Place:Sri Lanka
Fields:Physics
Alma Mater:University of Cambridge (BA)
Princeton University (PhD)
Thesis Title:First year Wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe results : cosmological parameters and implications for inflation
Thesis Url:https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53202248
Thesis Year:2003
Workplaces:University College London
Stockholm University
University of Chicago
University of Cambridge
Doctoral Advisor:David Spergel
Website:https://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/people/Hiranya.Peiris
Nationality:British

Hiranya Vajramani Peiris is a British astrophysicist at the University of Cambridge, where she holds the Professorship of Astrophysics (1909). She is best known for her work on the cosmic microwave background radiation, and interdisciplinary links between cosmology and high-energy physics. She was one of 27 scientists who received the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2018 for their "detailed maps of the early universe."[1]

Education and early life

Peiris was born in Sri Lanka.[2] She completed the Natural Sciences Tripos at University of Cambridge in 1998,[3] as an undergraduate student of New Hall, Cambridge.[4] [5] She earned a PhD at Princeton University from the department of astrophysical Sciences with advisor David Spergel, where she first worked on the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP).[6] [7]

Career and research

After her PhD, she went on to work at the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago as a Hubble fellow.[8] Having held several competitive postdoctoral fellowships,[9] in 2007 Peiris returned to the University of Cambridge as an Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) advanced fellow and was awarded a junior research fellowship at King's College, Cambridge in 2008. In 2009, Peiris won a Leverhulme Trust award for cosmology and secured a faculty position at University College London.[10]

She is currently Professor of Astrophysics (1909) at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge.[11] She was previously the Director of the Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics at Stockholm University,[12] and a Professor of Astrophysics at University College London.[13]

In 2012, the WMAP team (including Peiris) won the Gruber Cosmology Prize for their "exquisite measurements of anisotropies in the relic radiation from the Big Bang—the Cosmic Microwave Background".[14] WMAP's results on cosmic inflation, which Peiris contributed to, were described by Stephen Hawking as "the most exciting development in physics during his career".[15]

She was skeptical about the 2014 announcement of the discovery of primordial gravitational waves in the cosmic microwave background: "If they announce gravitational waves on Monday then I will need a great deal of convincing. But if they do have a robust detection ... Jesus wow! I'll be taking next week off." [16] Her skepticism proved well-founded: on 30 January 2015, a joint analysis of BICEP2 and Planck data was published and the European Space Agency announced that the signal can be entirely attributed to dust in the Milky Way,[17] though (non-primordial) gravitational waves have since been detected by different experiments.

In 2018, Peiris was awarded the Hoyle Medal and Prize of the UK Institute of Physics for “her leading contributions to understanding the origin and evolution of cosmic structure."[18]

In 2020 Peiris was awarded the Göran Gustafsson Prize in physics by the Göran Gustafsson Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences "for her innovative research on the dynamics of the early universe, which links cosmological observations to basic physics”.[19] She was also elected as a member of STFC Council, the senior strategic advisory body of the research council that funds particle physics and astronomy in the United Kingdom.[20]

In 2021, Peiris was awarded the Max Born Medal and Prize by the German Physical Society and the Eddington Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in recognition of her contributions to cosmology.

Peiris was elected as a Foreign Member in the Physics Class of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA) in May 2022.[21] In 2023, Peiris was appointed Professor of Astrophysics (1909) at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge.[11]

Public engagement

Alongside academic talks, Peiris gives public lectures about cosmology.[22] She has written articles and given interviews for both radio and print media.[23] She has appeared on podcasts, television programs and the national news.[24] In 2013 she gave a talk at TEDxCERN, "Multiplying Dimensions."[25] That year she was selected as one of Astronomy's top ten rising stars by Astronomy Magazine.[26]

In 2014, the pseudonymously-written Ephraim Hardcastle diary column in the Daily Mail claimed that Peiris (along with Maggie Aderin-Pocock) had been selected to discuss results from the Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization 2 (BICEP-2) experiment on BBC Newsnight because of her gender and ethnicity. These comments were condemned by mainstream media, the Royal Astronomical Society and Peiris' employer, University College London,[27] [28] and the Daily Mail and its column backed down within days.[27] [28] Peiris offered a rebuttal, "Groundbreaking science is blind to prejudice" in Times Higher Education.[29]

In 2017, Peiris collaborated with artist Penelope Rose Cowley to create artwork entitled "Cosmoparticle".[30] In 2018 Peiris contributed to an artwork by artist Goshka Macuga, which was exhibited at a 2019 exhibition held at the Bildmuseet, Sweden, featuring works by 14 international artists inspired by particle physics.[31] [32]

Awards and honours

Peiris was a member of the 27-person team awarded the 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.[33] The US $3 million award was given for the detailed maps of the early universe generated from WMAP.[34] WMAP is a NASA explorer mission that was launched in 2001, which has transformed modern cosmology.[35] Other prizes include:

External Links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/46973 Oral history interview transcript with Hiranya Peiris on 21 April 2021, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
  2. Web site: Goodyear . Charis . The cosmologist solving questions at the boundary of our understanding . cam.ac.uk . This Cambridge Life . 12 December 2023.
  3. Book: Thompson, Michael T J. Advances In Astronomy: From The Big Bang To The Solar System. World Scientific. 2005. 1-78326-019-X. 122.
  4. Web site: Career Path: Exploring fingerprints from the Big Bang. 19 November 2015. Murray Edwards College – University of Cambridge. en. 15 February 2019. 15 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190215221307/https://www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/news/our-blogs/she-talks-science/career-path-exploring-fingerprints-from-the-big-bang. dead.
  5. Web site: Hiranya Peiris. UCL. 26 January 2018. Cosmoparticle Initiative. en. 15 February 2019. 1 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200801142706/https://www.ucl.ac.uk/cosmoparticle/hiranya-peiris. dead.
  6. Peiris . Hiranya . 2003 . First year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe results: Cosmological parameters and implications for inflation . . 2003PhDT.........9P . 53202248 .
  7. Book: Thompson J Michael T. Advances In Astronomy: From The Big Bang To The Solar System. 26 October 2005. World Scientific. 978-1-78326-019-5. 99–.
  8. Web site: Iris View Profile. iris.ucl.ac.uk. en. 12 December 2017.
  9. Dr Hiranya Peiris . Astronomy & Geophysics . February 2012 . 53 . 1 . 1.37 . 10.1111/j.1468-4004.2012.53136_7.x . free .
  10. Web site: The Leverhulme Trust, 2009 Award Winners. https://web.archive.org/web/20160426095324/https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/sites/default/files/imported_pdfs/2009.pdf. 26 April 2016. dead. 12 December 2017.
  11. Web site: Hiranya Peiris appointed Professor of Astrophysics (1909). www.ast.cam.ac.uk. en. 20 October 2023. 27 October 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231027031833/https://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/content/hiranya.peiris.appointed.professor.astrophysics.1909. dead.
  12. Web site: Prof Hiranya Peiris - Oskar Klein Centre . ucl.ac.uk . 12 December 2023.
  13. Web site: Prof Hiranya Peiris. ucl.ac.uk. en. 25 January 2018.
  14. Web site: 2012 Gruber Cosmology Prize Citation The Gruber Foundation. gruber.yale.edu. en. 12 December 2017.
  15. News: 2013 Smart Guide: New maps to rein in cosmic inflation. New Scientist. 12 December 2017. en-US.
  16. News: Gravitational waves: have US scientists heard echoes of the big bang? . 24 August 2022 . the Guardian . 14 March 2014 . en.
  17. Cowen . Ron . 30 January 2015. Gravitational waves discovery now officially dead . . 10.1038/nature.2015.16830. 124938210 .
  18. Web site: 2018 Fred Hoyle Medal and Prize. Physics. Institute of. iop.org. en-GB. 19 February 2021.
  19. Web site: Göran Gustafsson Prize. Physics Department. Stockholm University . fysik.su.se. en-GB. 18 March 2020.
  20. Web site: STFC Council member - Professor Hiranya Peiris. STFC Council. ukri.org. en-GB. 18 March 2020.
  21. Web site: Kungl. Vetenskapsakademien . 2022-06-20 . kva.se.
  22. Web site: Hiranya Peiris In the Dark. telescoper.wordpress.com. en. 12 December 2017.
  23. News: Multiverse Proof Possibility From Colliding Universes Quanta Magazine. Quanta Magazine. 12 December 2017.
  24. News: Cross Section: Hiranya Peiris – Science Weekly podcast. The Guardian. 24 May 2019 . en. 19 February 2021. Devlin . Hannah . Jackson . Graihagh .
  25. Web site: TEDxCERN TED. ted.com. en. 12 December 2017.
  26. Web site: Astronomy Magazine names "Rising Stars of Astronomy". earlyuniverse.org. en-US. 12 December 2017.
  27. News: Scientist (PhD in astrophysics) shocked by reference to her ethnicity. 21 March 2014. The Independent. 12 December 2017. en-GB. A Mail spokesman said the paper fully accepted that the women were highly qualified in their field and that that was the reason they were chosen for interview. Yesterday’s Ephraim Hardcastle column stated: “I accept without questions that both ladies are highly qualified.”.
  28. News: Meikle . James . Daily Mail accused of insulting top female scientists . The Guardian . 21 March 2014 . A Mail spokesman made it clear that the paper fully accepts that the women were highly qualified in their field and that was the reason they were chosen for interview. The Mail is in contact with Professor Price..
  29. News: Groundbreaking science is blind to prejudice. 27 March 2014. Times Higher Education (THE). 12 December 2017. en.
  30. Web site: COSMOPARTICLE. Art by Penelope Rose Cowley. 12 December 2017.
  31. Web site: Imaginative intersection. physicsworld.com/. 18 June 2020 . 19 February 2021.
  32. Web site: Entangled Realities: Minding the Gap by Ariane Koek. clotmag.com. 19 February 2021.
  33. Web site: Breakthrough Prize – Fundamental Physics Laureates – Norman Jarosik and the WMAP Science Team. breakthroughprize.org. en. 12 December 2017.
  34. Web site: RAS Vice-President Professor Hiranya Peiris shares Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. ras.ac.uk. en. 19 February 2021.
  35. Web site: Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). map.gsfc.nasa.gov. 12 December 2017.
  36. Web site: Larsson . Per . Stockholm University receives four ERC Advanced Grants – Stockholm University . 4 May 2022 . su.se . en.
  37. Web site: Eddington Medal 2021 – Professor Hiranya Peiris . Royal Astronomical Society . 11 January 2021 .
  38. Web site: 2021. 21 November 2020. DPG. en.
  39. Web site: Cosmoparticle Physicists awarded share in Buchalter Cosmology Prize. ucl.ac.uk. 29 January 2019. en-US. 17 January 2022.
  40. Web site: Awards Won – Astrophysics Science Division – 660. science.gsfc.nasa.gov. en. 12 December 2017.
  41. Web site: Fundamental Physics Breakthrough Prize. breakthroughprize.org. en. 19 February 2021.
  42. Web site: Buchalter Cosmology Prize for Bubble Collision Simulations. earlyuniverse.org. en-US. 12 December 2017.
  43. Web site: RAS honours leading astronomers and geophysicists. Massey. Robert. ras.org.uk. en-gb. 12 December 2017.
  44. Young researchers win Philip Leverhulme Prizes . Astronomy & Geophysics . December 2009 . 50 . 6 . 6.08 . 10.1111/j.1468-4004.2009.50604_16.x . 2009A&G....50f...8. . free .
  45. Web site: Dr Hiranya Peiris – Research Councils UK. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20170714130556/http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/skills/percase/physics/Peiris/. dead. 14 July 2017. webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. en. 19 February 2021.
  46. Web site: Kavli Frontiers of Science Alumni . National Academy of Sciences.