Edward Paul Scott Shellard

Professor Edward Paul Scott Shellard is a leading cosmologist at the University of Cambridge, where he serves as Director of the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology and holds a professorship in Cosmology within the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) in the Faculty of Mathematics. His career at Cambridge spans over three decades, beginning with his PhD under Stephen Hawking in 1986.

Shellard's research focuses on the confrontation between theories of the early universe and empirical cosmology, with particular emphasis on primordial fluctuations for large-scale structure formation. His work includes critical tests to distinguish between inflationary models and identifying signatures of cosmic defects in the cosmic microwave background. He leads the Cosmic Defects and Non-Gaussianity project for the ESA Planck Satellite and has coordinated COSMOS, the UK National Cosmology Supercomputer, since its inception in 1997.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on cosmic strings, non-Gaussianity in the CMB, and computational methods for analyzing cosmological data. His work spans theoretical modeling, numerical simulations, and analysis of observational data from major cosmological surveys.

Shellard has made significant contributions to the Planck mission publications, particularly in areas related to non-Gaussianity, cosmic strings, and constraints on inflationary models. His research connects fundamental physics with observational cosmology through sophisticated computational techniques.

As Director of the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, Shellard leads a research group focused on Relativity and Gravitation within DAMTP. His work bridges theoretical physics, computational science, and observational cosmology to advance our understanding of the early universe and its evolution.