معرفی
Maura McLaughlin is an Eberly Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia University (WVU), serving as Chair of her department. She leads the NANOGrav collaboration and directs research focused on neutron stars, gravitational wave detection, and high-energy astrophysics. Her work utilizes major telescopes including the Green Bank Telescope, Arecibo, and Fermi gamma-ray telescope.
Education:
- Ph.D. in Physics, Cornell University, 2001
- B.S. in Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, 1994
Research Interests: McLaughlin’s research combines observational astronomy with theoretical astrophysics, emphasizing neutron star environments, pulsar timing arrays, and multi-wavelength studies (radio/X-ray/gamma-ray). She pioneers gravitational wave detection through millisecond pulsar arrays and develops techniques for next-generation telescopes like the Square Kilometer Array (SKA).
Awards:
- 2009 Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar Award
- 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship
Advising & Grants: As PI of an NSF PIRE grant, she coordinates international pulsar timing research. She mentors WVU students through the Pulsar Search Collaboratory, engaging high-schoolers in pulsar discovery. Her lab leverages WVU’s unique access to the world’s largest steerable radio telescope.
Labs/Teams: Leads NANOGrav, collaborates with the International Pulsar Timing Array, and operates facilities at Green Bank, WV.
