Dr. Ryan Ransom

Present Position: Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Okanagan College. I’m also a Visiting Scientist at DRAO.

Ph.D.: Completed October 2003, York University, Toronto, ON Thesis Title: Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Imaging and Astrometry of the Gravity Probe B Guide Star IM Pegasi. (Note: VLBI is a radio astronomy technique using radio telescopes from all over the globe.)

Thesis Overview: I reduced and analyzed 31 epochs of VLBI data for the radio-bright star IM Pegasi as well as two quasars. IM Pegasi served as the guide star for the satellite-based NASA/Stanford general relativity test called Gravity Probe B, which collected data between September 2004 and August 2005. Our observations determined the proper motion of IM Pegasi with respect to the quasars to better than 0.1 milli-arcseconds/yr. The accuracy of our measurement ultimately contributed to the success of this precision test of general relativity.

Previous Academic Positions: - Post-doctoral fellow January 2004-December 2006, York University and in collaboration with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Continued astronomical support for Gravity Probe B. - Post-doctoral fellow January 2007-August 2008, DRAO; Reduced and analyzed polarization data from the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey (CGPS).