Christine Wilson

Christine D. Wilson is a Canadian-American physicist and astronomer, currently a University Distinguished Professor at McMaster University.

On August 5, 1986, Wilson discovered a comet, later named Comet Wilson (1987 VII) after her, while analyzing photographic plates from the Samuel Oschin telescope at the Palomar Observatory.

Early life and education Wilson is dual citizen of Canada and the United States. She graduated with a PhD in Astronomy in 1990.

Career and research In 1992, Wilson moved to McMaster University where she is currently a University Distinguished Professor. Most of her work is focused on various components of star formation and the molecular interstellar medium, and has included use of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, Herschel Space Observatory, and the Submillimeter Array (SMA). Wilson is the principal investigator for three international projects associated with these telescope arrays, including the Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey through the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, the Very Nearby Galaxies Survey from the Herschel Space Observatory, and the Submillimeter Array's Luminous Infrared Galaxies Survey. She is also the lead for the Herschel Key Project, which examined nearby galaxies to characterize interstellar dust. Wilson also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Associate Universities. 1999 - Ontario Premier's Research Excellence Award 2022-2023 - Acting President of the Canadian Astronomical Society

Public engagement During the International Year of Astronomy (2009), Wilson was a Galileo Lecturer which entailed presenting a number of public talks around her work as part of the outreach initiative, the Galileo Lecture Series.