Daniel Batcheldor | |
---|---|
Nationality | British (1978–2018) American (2018–) |
Alma mater | University of Hertfordshire |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Astronomy, Astrophysics |
Institutions | University of Hertfordshire Rochester Institute of Technology Florida Institute of Technology |
Doctoral advisor | David Axon |
Daniel Batcheldor is an Anglo-American astrophysicist, a former professor at Florida Institute of Technology and Head of the Department of Aerospace, Physics and Space Sciences, and Director of the Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope.[1]
In 2000, Batcheldor served as a student support astronomer at the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes with responsibilities for the Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope.[2] He received a bachelor's degree in astronomy from the University of Hertfordshire in 2001, and in 2004 he completed his Ph.D. at the same institution.[citation needed]
In 2010, Batcheldor moved to a faculty position at Florida Institute of Technology and became the Director of the Olin Observatory.[3] In 2014, he became Head of the Department of Physics and Space Sciences at Florida Institute of Technology,[4] until his departure in July 2020.[1][5]
Batcheldor's work includes the quantification of selection effects in the M–σ relation.,[6] the demonstration of low signal-to-noise data in published supermassive black holes mass estimates as well as comparative supermassive black holes mass measurements,[7][8] and the discovery of a spatially offset supermassive black hole in the galaxy Messier 87.[9][10]
Batcheldor led the efforts to calibrate the NICMOS instrument on board the Hubble Space Telescope to enable imaging polarimetry at the level of 1%.[11][12]
In 2012 he began efforts to bring back to operational status the 1.0-m Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope that had been taken out of service in 2003. This facility is now a remote observatory operated by the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA).[2] Batcheldor is the principal investigator for the SpectraCAM charge injection device payload that was tested on the Nanoracks External Platform on the International Space Station.[13][14]
Batcheldor is author of Astronomy Saves the World: Securing our Future Through Exploration and Education (ISBN 0997247509, ISBN 978-0997247503) that advocates for the introduction of astronomy as part of the core K-12 curriculum.