Elizabeth Lyon Blanton (born 1970) is an American astronomer whose research combines observations of

galaxy cluster A galaxy cluster, or a cluster of galaxies, is a structure that consists of anywhere from hundreds to thousands of galaxies that are bound together by gravity, with typical masses ranging from 1014 to 1015 solar masses. Clusters consist of galax ...

s on a broad range of spectra including

radio astronomy Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies Astronomical object, celestial objects using radio waves. It started in 1933, when Karl Jansky at Bell Telephone Laboratories reported radiation coming from the Milky Way. Subsequent observat ...

X-ray astronomy X-ray astronomy is an observational branch of astronomy which deals with the study of X-ray observation and detection from astronomical objects. X-radiation is absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere, so instruments to detect X-rays must be taken to ...

infrared astronomy Infrared astronomy is a sub-discipline of astronomy which specializes in the astronomical observation, observation and analysis of astronomical objects using infrared (IR) radiation. The wavelength of infrared light ranges from 0.75 to 300 microm ...

, and

visible-light astronomy Visible-light astronomy encompasses a wide variety of astronomical observation via telescopes that are sensitive in the range of visible light (optical telescopes). Visible-light astronomy is part of optical astronomy, and differs from astronomie ...

. She is an associate professor of astronomy at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

, where she directs the Institute for Astrophysical Research.

Education and career

Blanton graduated from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

in 1993, with a bachelor's degree in astronomy. Her undergraduate thesis research on observation of a

type II-P supernova A Type II supernova or SNII (plural: ''supernovae'') results from the rapid collapse and violent explosion of a massive star. A star must have at least eight times, but no more than 40 to 50 times, the solar mass, mass of the Sun () to underg ...

, supervised by Frederick R. Chromey, won the undergraduate thesis award of the Astronomical Society of New York. She went to

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

for graduate study in astronomy, earning a master's degree in 1996 and completing her Ph.D. in 2000. Her dissertation involved radio astronomy of galaxy clusters, and was supervised by

David Helfand David J. Helfand is a U.S. astronomer who served as president of Quest University Canada from 2008 to 2015. He has also served as chair of the Department of Astronomy at Columbia University and co-director of the Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory ...

. After postdoctoral research at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

, she joined Boston University in 2004 as Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Astronomy, and was promoted to associate professor in 2013. She became director of the Institute for Astrophysical Research in 2015.

Recognition

Blanton was named a Legacy Fellow of the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

in 2020.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanton, Elizabeth L. 1970 births Living people 21st-century American astronomers American women astronomers Vassar College alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Boston University faculty Fellows of the American Astronomical Society