Gillian Wright (astronomer)

Professor Gillian Wright MBE, FRSE is a Scottish astronomer who is currently the director of the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, UK. She has also been involved in the development and construction of the James Webb Space Telescope as the European Principle Investigator for the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). In 2006 Wright was awarded an MBE for services to science.[1]

Gillian Wright
Alma mater
Scientific career
FieldsInfrared observatories, astronomical instrumentation, star formation and dust in interacting galaxies
Institutions
ThesisInfrared activity in interacting galaxies (1987)
Doctoral advisorRobert Joseph

Education

Wright attended a comprehensive school in the town of Hamilton, where she studied for Scottish Highers in Chemistry, English, French, Maths and Physics, then went on to study Natural Philosophy (Physics) at the University of Glasgow.[2] She then pursued postgraduate studies at Imperial College London, firstly obtaining an Master degree in 1982. Wrights master's thesis, titled Design study for a large balloon-borne far infrared telescope investigates the practicalities of a balloon mounted infra-red telescope, including techniques for making lightweight mirrors, optical configurations and potential structural problems.[3] Wright then submitted her PhD at the same institute, titled Infrared activity in interacting galaxies, in 1986. This work investigated the cause of unusually intense Infra-red activity in the nuclei of interacting galaxies, concluding that the most likely cause was recent bursts of star formation.[4][5]

Career

After her PhD, Wright was appointed a fellowship position at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh. She was then staff scientist at the UK Infrared Telescope in Hawaii, and later became the Head of Instrumentation there from 1995-1997.[6] In 1997 Wright returned to Edinburgh to join the newly-formed UK Astronomy Technology Centre, where she currently holds the position of director.[5][1] She is also a visiting professor at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Astronomy and a member of the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA) International Advisory Committee.[7][8]

In 2006 Wright was awarded an MBE for services to science.[9] She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.[10]

Space Telescopes

Over her career Wright has been involved in a number of space telescope projects. She was a co-investigator for the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver instrument (SPIRE) on European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory, which was active from 2009-2013.[1][11] She is currently the European Principle for the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, as well as being a member of the project's science working group.[1] MIRI was completed in 2012, when it was shipped to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre for incorporation into the telescope.[12]

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References
  1. "Gillian Wright Biography Webb Telescope/NASA". James Webb Space Telescope. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  2. "Gillian Wright". Destination Space. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  3. Wright, Gillian Susan (1982). Design study for a large balloon-borne far infrared telescope (Thesis). hdl:10044/1/36136.
  4. Wright, G. S. (1987). Infrared activity in interacting galaxies (Thesis). hdl:10044/1/46917.
  5. "Technology Gillian Wright". Science and Technology Facilities Council. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
  6. Adamson, Andy; Davies, John; Robson, Ian; Robson, E. Ian (2013-11-26). Thirty Years of Astronomical Discovery with UKIRT: The Scientific Achievement of the United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-94-007-7432-2.
  7. "People & Contacts". Institute for Astronomy. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  8. "SUPA Committees". Scottish Universities Physics Alliance. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  9. "NASA - Meet the Faces Behind the MIRI - Part 1: Wright, Goodson, Glasse and Ressler". NASA. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
  10. "Professor Gillian Susan Wright MBE, FRSE". The Royal Society of Edinburgh. 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  11. "The Herschel Space Observatory - Mission Overview". Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  12. "First instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope completed". phys.org. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
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