Jo Bovy receives Rutherford Memorial Medal from Royal Society of Canada
Published: September 14, 2021
The University of Toronto’s Jo Bovy has received the Rutherford Memorial Medal from the Royal Society of Canada which honours researchers in chemistry or physics in the early stages of their career.
An associate professor in the David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Bovy was recognized for his work advancing how we investigate the fundamental nature of the Milky Way galaxy.
“While I work in an astronomy department and largely do research in astrophysics, one of the main motivations for my work is to expand our knowledge of fundamental physics – and in particular, of dark matter – using astrophysical observations,” Bovy said. “So it's very satisfying to receive an award from the physics community.”
Professor Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, said Bovy’s award was well deserved.
“The medal recognizes early-career researchers who have produced outstanding results, and his analytical methods and insights into our galaxy have been exceptional.”
A Canada Research Chair in Galactic Astrophysics, Bovy is also the recipient of the Price Prize (2010), a Sloan Research Fellowship (2016), the Vera Rubin Early Career Prize (2019) and the Helen B. Warner Prize (2019).
“Jo Bovy’s work is helping us better understand the small-scale distribution of dark matter in galaxies,” said Leah Cowen, U of T’s associate vice-president, research. “The university congratulates him on this important recognition of his achievements.”
