Maria R. Drout
About
Maria Drout’s group studies the evolution, influence and ultimate fate of massive stars.
They use ground and space-based telescopes to study supernova explosions and other exotic transients, as well as populations of massive stars in nearby galaxies. Recently, Drout and her team discovered the first visible light from a gravitational wave signal – less than 11 hours after it was detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), pinpointing the location of a neutron star merger. Drout subsequently used the rapidly fading light from the explosion to understand the origin of the heaviest elements in the universe.
Awards
- Dorothy Shoichet Women Faculty Award of Excellence, University of Toronto, 2018
- ASU Origins Project Postdoctoral Lectureship Award, 2018
- NASA Hubble Fellowship, 2016 - 2018
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2010-2014
- Churchill Fellowship, 2010
Relevant Publications
Drout, M. R., et al. “Light Curves of the Neutron Star Merger GW170817/SSS17a: Implications for R-Process Nucleosynthesis.” Science, 358, 1570 (2017).
Coulter, D. A. et al. “Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), the Optical Counterpart to a Gravitational Wave Source.” Science, 358, 1556 (2017).
Drout, M. R. “Rapidly Evolving and Luminous Transients from PanSTARRS1”, ApJ, 794, 23 (2014).
Drout, M. R., et al. “The Fast and Furious Decay of the Peculiar Type Ic Supernova 2005ek.” ApJ, 774, 58 (2013).
Drout, M. R. “The Yellow and Red Supergiants of M33.” ApJ, 750, 97 (2012).
Support Us
CIFAR is a registered charitable organization supported by the governments of Canada, Alberta and Quebec, as well as foundations, individuals, corporations and Canadian and international partner organizations.