Athol J KemballView profile
Professor
Athol J Kemball is a Professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. He also holds affiliations with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) as a Professor and is a faculty affiliate of the Computational Science and Engineering program. Kemball is a member of the Center for Extreme-Scale Computation at NCSA/IACAT and leads the Kemball Research Group, which focuses on applying advanced computing to problems in observational astronomy. Dr. Kemball earned his Ph.D. in Physics in 1993. His educational background has provided the foundation for his interdisciplinary work at the intersection of computational science and astrophysics. Kemball's research lies at the intersection of advanced computing and astrophysics, with specific focus areas including: The theory of interferometry Astrophysical masers Late-type, evolved stars Gravitational lensing His work leverages extreme-scale computer systems to transform observational astronomy, enabling new scientific inquiries that were previously impossible. The exponential growth in computing capability has profoundly influenced his approaches to data-and compute-intensive scientific questions. An analysis of Kemball's recent publications shows a strong focus on applying computational methods to astronomical observations. His work spans from exoplanet detection using Bayesian methods to studying gravitational lensing and maser polarization. The research demonstrates a consistent theme of using advanced computing to extract maximum scientific value from observational data, particularly in the areas of interferometry and polarization studies. Among his notable recognition: Blue Waters Professor Named to the "List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent" four times since 2010 Kemball has been actively involved in teaching, offering courses such as Introduction to Astrophysics, Observational Astronomy, Scientific Writing for Astronomy, and Astronomical Techniques. His research group has participated in significant projects including the Square Kilometer Array Technology Development Project, specifically in the Calibration and Processing Group, addressing petascale computing challenges for radio astronomy. The Kemball Research Group focuses on applying high-performance computing to observational astronomy problems, particularly in interferometry, maser studies, and gravitational lensing. The group collaborates with the Center for Extreme-Scale Computation at NCSA/IACAT and contributes to advancing computational methods for next-generation astronomical facilities.




