Jan J. Eldridge
New Zealand theoretical astronomer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jan J. Eldridge[1] is a theoretical astrophysicist based in the Department of Physics at the University of Auckland[1] in New Zealand, and co-author of The Structure And Evolution Of Stars.
Jan J. Eldridge | |
|---|---|
Eldridge in 2023 | |
| Citizenship | New Zealand |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Known for | Research on evolution of binary star systems, co-developing Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis models (BPASS) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Theoretical astrophysics |
| Workplaces | Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, Queen's University Belfast, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, University of Auckland |
| Thesis | |
| Website | https://jjeldridge.blogs.auckland.ac.nz/ |
Education and research
Eldridge obtained their MA and MSci from the University of Cambridge, England.[2] They also obtained their PhD in astrophysics at Cambridge, in the Institute of Astronomy, with a thesis titled 'Progenitors of Core-Collapse Supernovae'.[2][3][4] They worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institut d'astrophysique de Paris and Queen's University in Belfast, before returning to the Institute of Astrophysics at Cambridge.[2][3] In 2011 they were appointed lecturer in astrophysics at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
Eldridge studies the evolution of binary stars using numerical models.[5] At the University of Auckland, together with Elizabeth Stanway, they co-developed the Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis (BPASS) models to study the evolution of stars.[6][7] They used these models to show that globular clusters were younger than previously thought.[7][6]
Together with Christopher Adam Tout, they wrote The Structure And Evolution Of Stars, published in 2019 by World Scientific Europe.[8]
Eldridge has been acknowledged numerous times for their teaching skills. They were the Physics Department Teacher of the Year in both 2012 and 2016, and received a Faculty of Science Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching from the University of Auckland in 2019.[9][10] They are also a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Fellow of the Astronomical Society of Australia[2] and were awarded the Anne Green Prize in 2020.[11]
LGBTQIA+ advocacy
Eldridge is a non-binary trans woman, and uses they/them and she/her pronouns. They are a strong advocate of LGBTQIA+ inclusion.[12] They sit on the Equity committee in the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland.[13] They also lead the Trans on Campus and Rainbow Science groups at the university.[14] Their efforts have been recognized as key in winning the Pleiades Bronze Award by the Department of Physics at the University of Auckland.[14] They also work with the Australian Society of Astronomy (ASA) on the Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable Astronomy (IDEA) group.[13][15] For their work in LGBTQIA+ inclusion they were shortlisted for the New Zealand LGBTI Hero of the Year Award.[16][17][18]