Sri Lankan-born astronomer Ray Jayawardhana has been named to "Canada's Top 40 Under 40" list for 2009, an honour that recognizes success achieved at a youthful age. Jayawardhana, who has also won several awards previously for his ground-breaking discoveries and for science writing, is currently on a brief visit to Colombo.
"Canada's Top 40 Under 40" is a prestigious national programme founded and managed by Caldwell Partners in partnership with the Globe & Mail newspaper to celebrate leaders of today and tomorrow and to honour Canadians below the age of 40 who have achieved a significant level of success. The programme is designed to promote mentorship and professional development by introducing these leaders to the established business community and by promoting them as role models for young Canadians. In choosing the recipients, the selection panel considers the nominees' vision and leadership; innovation and achievement; impact; community involvement and contribution; and growth/development strategy.
Jayawardhana, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics at the University of Toronto, sees the award as another opportunity to showcase the importance of science. "I wasn't even sure that I wanted to be a scientist when I was younger but I did know that if I was to become one, I wanted to be a publicly engaged scientist," he said. "As a scientist winning this award, it is another opportunity to showcase scientists and science as an integral part of Canada's cultural landscape and its economic endeavours."
Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Jayawardhana studied at Royal College before leaving for the United States. He holds a bachelor's degree from Yale and a Ph.D. from Harvard, and moved from the U.S. to Canada five years ago. His research findings have been featured in a wide variety of print, broadcast and electronic media around the world. His popular articles have also appeared in a variety of publications including The Economist, Science, New Scientist, Scientific American, Muse, Astronomy and Sky & Telescope. He is frequently asked to comment on astronomy and space for the media, most recently for the Newsworld programme on CBC television.
He has travelled widely - to over 40 countries. Earlier this month, he visited Borneo to hike Mount Kinabalu and to see wildlife. |
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