Seeing the Universe in a Whole New Light

Associate Professor Karen Pollard, University of Canterbury

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) studies every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation and evolution of stars that may have solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth. Launched on 25 December 2021, JWST has already made an enormous impact on our understanding of our universe. In this talk, Karen will summarise what makes JWST so unique and present highlights of its many discoveries.

Karen grew up in Christchurch and obtained her PhD at the University of Canterbury.  She has held academic position at the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town, at Gettysburg College in the USA and at the European Southern Observatory in Santiago, Chile. She is now Associate Professor in the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of Canterbury and is also Director of the University’s Mt John Observatory in Tekapo and the Townsend Teece Telescope in Christchurch. Karen’s research interests include stellar variability, pulsating and exploding stars, binary and multiple star systems and young stars with planetary systems.