Scottish Scientist Wins Top Astronomy Award

0:00Professor Gillian Wright, a top Edinburgh scientist, just snagged the 2026 Tyco-Brahi Medal for her huge role in the James Webb Space Telescope Project. This award, named after a 16th-century Danish astronomer, honors top contributions to observational astrophysics and comes from Europe's leading experts. She served as the European principal investigator for the mid-infrared instrument, or MIRE, on the telescope launched back in 2021. That tool lets astronomers peer into star births, the early universe and far-off galaxies, while she also shaped the mission's science strategy and boosted public outreach. Wright directed the UK Astronomy Technology Center at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh from 2012 to 2024 in her career spans. Key instruments like the Herschel Spire for the European Space Agency and leadership at the UK Infrared Telescope in Hawaii. She's a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a visiting

1:01professor at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Astronomy and holds a PhD from Imperial College London after starting at the University of Glasgow. Past honors include an MBE in 2006 and a CBE in 2023 for her astronomy work, with teens like hers pushing JWST's successes were unlocking deeper cosmic secrets, proof that sharp minds from Scotland keep lighting up the universe. Local news powered by AI. This is Edinburgh News Today.