Hiranya Vajramani Peiris is a British astrophysicist at the University of Cambridge, where she holds the Professorship of Astrophysics (1909).[2] She is best known for her work on the cosmic microwave background radiation, and interdisciplinary links between cosmology and high-energy physics.[3] She was one of 27 scientists who received the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2018 for their "detailed maps of the early universe".[4]
She is currently Professor of Astrophysics (1909) at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge.[13] She was previously the Director of the Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics at Stockholm University,[14] and a Professor of Astrophysics at University College London.[15]
In 2012, the WMAP team (including Peiris) won the Gruber Cosmology Prize for their "exquisite measurements of anisotropies in the relic radiation from the Big Bang—the Cosmic Microwave Background".[16] WMAP's results on cosmic inflation, which Peiris contributed to, were described by Stephen Hawking as "the most exciting development in physics during his career".[17]
She was skeptical about the 2014 announcement of the discovery of primordialgravitational waves in the cosmic microwave background: "If they announce gravitational waves on Monday then I will need a great deal of convincing. But if they do have a robust detection ... Jesus wow! I'll be taking next week off."[18] Her skepticism proved well-founded: on 30 January 2015, a joint analysis of BICEP2 and Planck data was published and the European Space Agency announced that the signal can be entirely attributed to dust in the Milky Way,[19] though (non-primordial) gravitational waves have since been detected by different experiments.
In 2018, Peiris was awarded the Hoyle Medal and Prize of the UK Institute of Physics for "her leading contributions to understanding the origin and evolution of cosmic structure."[20]
In 2020 Peiris was awarded the Göran Gustafsson Prize in physics by the Göran Gustafsson Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences "for her innovative research on the dynamics of the early universe, which links cosmological observations to basic physics".[21] She was also elected as a member of STFC Council, the senior strategic advisory body of the research council that funds particle physics and astronomy in the United Kingdom.[3]
Peiris was elected as a Foreign Member in the Physics Class of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA) in May 2022.[24] In 2023, Peiris was appointed Professor of Astrophysics (1909) at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge.[13]
Public engagement
Alongside academic talks, Peiris gives public lectures about cosmology.[25][26] She has written articles and given interviews for both radio and print media.[27] She has appeared on podcasts, television programs and the national news.[28] In 2013 she gave a talk at TEDxCERN, "Multiplying Dimensions".[29] That year she was selected as one of Astronomy's top ten rising stars by Astronomy Magazine.[30]
In 2017, Peiris collaborated with artist Penelope Rose Cowley to create artwork entitled "Cosmoparticle".[34] In 2018 Peiris contributed to an artwork by artist Goshka Macuga, which was exhibited at a 2019 exhibition held at the Bildmuseet, Sweden, featuring works by 14 international artists inspired by particle physics.[35][36]
Awards and honours
Peiris was a member of the 27-person team awarded the 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.[37] The US $3 million award was given for the detailed maps of the early universe generated from WMAP.[38]WMAP is a NASA explorer mission that was launched in 2001, which has transformed modern cosmology.[39] Other prizes include:
Peiris receiving the Fowler Prize in 2012 from Roger Davies
^ ab"Scientist (PhD in astrophysics) shocked by reference to her ethnicity". The Independent. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2017. A Mail spokesman said the paper fully accepted that the women were highly qualified in their field and that that was the reason they were chosen for interview. Yesterday's Ephraim Hardcastle column stated: "I accept without questions that both ladies are highly qualified."
^ abMeikle, James (21 March 2014). "Daily Mail accused of insulting top female scientists". The Guardian. A Mail spokesman made it clear that the paper fully accepts that the women were highly qualified in their field and that was the reason they were chosen for interview. The Mail is in contact with Professor Price.
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