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Gwendolyn Eadie of the Faculty of Arts & Science's David A. Dunlap department of astronomy and astrophysics and department of statistical sciences has won a 2021 Polanyi Prize in Physics for her work in the emerging field of astrostatistics, which is providing new insights into dark matter and its impact on galaxies.

The prestigious John Charles Polanyi prizes are awarded in honour of John Polanyi, who won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Funded by the government of Ontario and administered by the Council of Ontario Universities, they recognize innovative researchers who are continuing postdoctoral work or have recently been appointed as faculty at an Ontario university.

Eadie’s research aims to combine the fields of astronomy and statistics and create statistical models that can help astronomers better understand and make more accurate predictions about how dark matter is distributed in galaxies, and how it affects the formation and evolution of galaxies including our Milky Way.

“As the first U of T faculty member to be appointed to both the departments of astronomy and statistics – and the head of Canada’s first astrostatistics research team – Gwendolyn Eadie is no stranger to blazing new trails,” says Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “Her novel interdisciplinary research is poised to provide deeper insights into dark matter that will be critical to advancing our understanding of the workings of our galaxy.

“The University of Toronto congratulates Assistant Professor Eadie on this richly deserved recognition.”