George Efstathiou is a Professor of Astrophysics in the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge. He is also a co-Chair of the Cambridge Planck Analysis Centre. Dr. Efstathiou received his B.A. in Physics from Keble College, Oxford University in 1976, and his Ph.D. in Astronomy from Durham University in 1979. After completing his studies, he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, for one year. He spent the next eight years at the Institute for Astronomy at Cambridge, beginning as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant and eventually becoming Assistant Director of Research. In 1988, Dr. Efstathiou moved to Oxford University, where he served as Head of Astronomy until 1994, and was also the Savilian Professor of Astronomy. From 1988-97, he also held a Senior Fellowship of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC). Dr. Efstathiou returned to Cambridge to take his current position in 1997.

Dr. Efstathiou received the Maxwell Medal and Prize of the Institute of Physics in 1990, and in 1997 was awarded the Robinson Prize in Cosmology from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He is currently a member of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.

Research Interests:

Dr. Efstathiou is particularly interested in the remnant or ‘background’ radiation created at the time of the Big Bang. His work involves understanding the slight differences in the temperature of this radiation. It is hoped that this study of remnant radiation will eventually answer some of the most profound questions in science, explaining how and why stars and galaxies were formed, and more precisely determining the age and size of our universe. Dr. Efstathiou has frequently collaborated with CIAR Fellow Dick Bond in this area.

Dr. Efstathiou is currently a co-Chair of the Cambridge Planck Analysis Centre, which is developing methods to analyze the data that will be collected by the Planck satellite, to be launched by the European Space Agency in 2007. The satellite’s two-year mission will be to measure the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation with unprecedented accuracy.

George Efstathiou is one of the most cited scientists. See a list

Citation Superstars of the U.K., 1990 – 1999

Physical Sciences
(Ranked by total citations to papers published and cited
between 1990 and June 1999