June 11, 2014 — Victoria, British Columbia
National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Researcher Emeritus Dr. Sidney van den Bergh has been awarded the 2014 Gruber Foundation Cosmology Prize, along with three other distinguished astronomers for contributions to the understanding of the structure and composition of the nearby Universe. Dr. van den Bergh shares the US$500,000 award with Professors Jaan Einasto (Tartu Observatory, Estonia), Kenneth Freeman (Australian National University) and Brent Tully (University of Hawaii). The prize will be presented on October 1, 2014.
Dr. van den Bergh and his fellow recipients are awarded for their ground-breaking work in Near Field Cosmology. Their research into the properties of nearby galaxies and dark matter is lauded as significantly improving current understanding of the evolution of galaxies and large-scale structure.
Following 19 years at the University of Toronto, Dr. van den Bergh joined NRC in 1978 as Director of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO) in Victoria, B.C. He played a pivotal role in Canada’s participation in the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, which has become the most influential telescope of its size in the world. As DAO Director, he provided exceptionally strong scientific leadership as it began transitioning to become a national centre for Canadian astronomy. He was named an NRC Researcher Emeritus in 1999, a position he still holds today.
Media Relations Team
National Research Council of Canada
Telephone: 613-991-1431
Toll-free: 1-855-282-1637 (24/7)
Email: media@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Twitter: @nrc_cnrc