{{Short description|British astrophysicist}} {{About|the British astrophysicist|the Australian ecologist|Elizabeth Tasker}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Elizabeth Tasker | birth_name = Elizabeth J. Tasker | birth_date ={{birth date and age|1980|07|12|df=y}} | image = Elizabethtasker.jpg | caption = Tasker in 2014 | workplaces = University of Florida <br> Columbia University<br>McMaster University <br> Hokkaido University <br> JAXA |fields=Computational Astrophysics | alma_mater = Durham University (MSci)<br> Merton College, Oxford (DPhil) | thesis_title = Numerical simulations of the formation and evolution of galaxies |doctoral_advisor=Greg Bryan | thesis_url = https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.424719 | thesis_year = 2005 | website = {{URL|elizabethtasker.com}}}}
'''Elizabeth J. Tasker''' (born 12 July 1980) is a British astrophysicist and science writer.
Tasker is currently an associate professor at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and is highly active in science communication. Her first book, ''The Planet Factory'', was published by Bloomsbury in 2017.
== Early life and education == Tasker graduated from Durham University in 2002 with a MSci in theoretical physics.<ref>{{cite web |title=Curriculum Vitae |url=https://www.elizabethtasker.com/research |website=Elizabeth Tasker |access-date=20 April 2019 |archive-date=20 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420013650/https://www.elizabethtasker.com/research |url-status=dead }}</ref> As an undergraduate, she won the 1999 ''The Daily Telegraph'' Young Science Writers Award.<ref name="Bloomsbury profile" />
Tasker moved to the University of Oxford for doctoral studies, where her supervisor was Greg Bryan.<ref name="ResearchGate">{{Cite thesis|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/35875328|title=Numerical simulations of the formation and evolution of galaxies|website=researchgate.net|publisher=University of Oxford|language=en|access-date=2019-01-19|year=2005|degree=DPhil|first=Elizabeth|last=Tasker|id={{EThOS|uk.bl.ethos.424719}}}}</ref> Her thesis, ''Numerical simulations of the formation and evolution of galaxies'', was completed in 2005.<ref name="ResearchGate" />
==Career and research== Tasker joined Columbia University as a postdoctoral research assistant, where she worked on simulations of star formation that incorporated feedback from supernovae.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tasker|first1=Elizabeth J.|last2=Bryan|first2=Greg L.|date=2006|title=Simulating Star Formation and Feedback in Galactic Disk Models|journal=The Astrophysical Journal|volume=641|issue=2|pages=878–890|doi=10.1086/500567|issn=0004-637X|bibcode=2006ApJ...641..878T|arxiv=astro-ph/0512027|s2cid=14350784}}</ref> She has investigated whether stellar feedback results in the death of Giant Molecular Clouds.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tasker|first1=Elizabeth J.|last2=Wadsley|first2=James|last3=Pudritz|first3=Ralph|date=2015|title=Star Formation in Disk Galaxies. III. Does stellar feedback result in cloud death?|journal=The Astrophysical Journal|volume=801|issue=1|pages=33|doi=10.1088/0004-637X/801/1/33|issn=1538-4357|arxiv=1501.00277|bibcode=2015ApJ...801...33T|s2cid=54501498}}</ref> She spent three years at the University of Florida as the Theoretical Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow, before moving to McMaster University as a CITA National Fellow in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattletechnicalbooks.com/elizabeth-tasker-planet-factory|title=Elizabeth Tasker: The Planet Factory {{!}} Ada's Technical Books|website=seattletechnicalbooks.com|date=16 January 2018|access-date=2019-01-19|archive-date=20 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620010933/https://www.seattletechnicalbooks.com/elizabeth-tasker-planet-factory|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Tasker's research investigates how stars form in disc galaxies using computer simulations.<ref name="Hokudai">{{Cite web|url=https://tenure-track.cris.hokudai.ac.jp/en/researcher/elizabeth-tasker/|title=Elizabeth TASKER » Office of Promotion and Standardization of the Tenure-Track System {{!}} 北海道大学|website=tenure-track.cris.hokudai.ac.jp|access-date=2019-01-19|archive-date=16 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216180026/https://tenure-track.cris.hokudai.ac.jp/en/researcher/elizabeth-tasker/|url-status=dead}}</ref> She looks at how galaxy structure impacts the formation of stars, and how star formation drives galaxy evolution.<ref name="Hokudai" /> She has argued for the need to evaluate the language around exoplanet ranking metrics.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tasker|first1=Elizabeth|last2=Tan|first2=Joshua|last3=Heng|first3=Kevin|last4=Kane|first4=Stephen|last5=Spiegel|first5=David|last6=the ELSI Origins Network Planetary Diversity Workshop|last7=Brasser|first7=Ramon|last8=Casey|first8=Andrew|last9=Desch|first9=Steven|date=2017|title=The language of exoplanet ranking metrics needs to change|journal=Nature Astronomy|language=en|volume=1|issue=2|pages=0042|doi=10.1038/s41550-017-0042|issn=2397-3366|bibcode=2017NatAs...1E..42T|arxiv=1708.01363|s2cid=118952886}}</ref> She joined Hokkaido University as an international tenure-track academic in 2011.<ref name="Hokudai" /> She won the Hokkaido University President's Award for Education in 2014, 2015 and 2016.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} She was appointed to JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, as an associate professor in 2016,<ref name="Bloomsbury profile">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/author/elizabeth-tasker|website=bloomsbury.com|title=Elizabeth Tasker Bloomsbury profile|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref><ref name="JAXA">{{Cite web|url=https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/sokendai/e/about/staff/solar_system.html|title=Faculty Staff {{!}} Solar system science|last=宇宙科学専攻|first=総合研究大学院大学 物理科学研究科|website=Department of Space and Astronautical Science, SOKENDAI|language=en|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref> working on hydrodynamical models of star and planet formation.<ref name="JAXA" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/about/researchers/tasker_elizabeth.html|script-title=ja:タスカー エリザベス {{!}} 研究教育職員|script-website=ja:宇宙科学研究所|language=ja|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref>
=== Science communication === Tasker is also a popular science writer. She has written for ''Scientific American'', ''How It Works'', Space.com, ''The Conversation'' and ''Astronomy''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.space.com/32441-how-would-hitomi-loss-would-hurt-science.html|title=If Hitomi is Lost, What Science is Lost With It? (Op-Ed)|last=Tasker |first=Elizabeth |date=April 1, 2016|website=Space.com|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/lets-lose-the-term-habitable-zone-for-exoplanets/|title=Let's Lose the Term "Habitable Zone" for Exoplanets|last=Tasker|first=Elizabeth|website=Scientific American Blog Network|language=en|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/surprising-new-finds-from-ancient-egyptian-star-charts-slide-show1/|title=Surprising New Finds from Ancient Egyptian Star Charts [Slide Show]|last=Gorman|first=Christine|website=Scientific American|date=October 2015 |language=en|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theconversation.com/profiles/elizabeth-tasker-102945|title=Elizabeth Tasker|website=The Conversation|date=3 September 2013 |language=en|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref> She has presented popular science lectures at the ''Communicating Astronomy with the Public'' conference, the Royal Institution and American Museum of Natural History.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.communicatingastronomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CAP2018_Program.pdf|title=Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2018|website=CAP|access-date=2019-01-19|archive-date=20 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120043152/https://www.communicatingastronomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CAP2018_Program.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://astrophiz.wordpress.com/2017/03/27/astrophiz-30-dr-elizabeth-tasker-debunks-earth2-0-in-trappist-1-dr-ian-musgrave-whats-up-doc/|title=Astrophiz 30: Dr Elizabeth Tasker debunks 'Earth2.0' in Trappist-1 system + Dr Ian Musgrave 'What's Up Doc?'|last=O'brien|first=Brendan|date=2017-03-26|website=Astrophiz|language=en|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rigb.org/whats-on/events-2018/july/public-a-planet-not-our-own|title=A planet not our own|website=rigb.org|language=en|access-date=2019-01-19|archive-date=20 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120093447/http://www.rigb.org/whats-on/events-2018/july/public-a-planet-not-our-own|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2015, Tasker presented ''How Did We Begin'' at TEDx Hokkaido University.<ref>{{Citation|last=TEDx Talks|title=How Did We Begin? {{!}} Elizabeth Tasker {{!}} TEDxHokkaidoU|date=25 November 2015 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9BxKIxkiAI|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref> She has spoken about the work of the Earth-Life Science Institute to the general public.<ref>{{Citation|last=NASA Astrobiology|title=Space Dust to Sentience: Dr. Elizabeth Tasker|date=November 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gub4fCdwQO4|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref>
==== The Planet Factory ==== In 2017 Bloomsbury Publishing released Tasker's first book, ''The Planet Factory''.<ref name="Bloomsbury book">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-planet-factory-9781472917720/|title=The Planet Factory: Exoplanets and the Search for a Second Earth|website=Bloomsbury|access-date=2019-01-19|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109131947/https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-planet-factory-9781472917720/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The book was described as "brilliantly written" by ''Physics World''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://physicsworld.com/a/how-to-build-a-planet/|title=How to build a planet|date=2017-12-05|website=Physics World|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref> and "splendidly readable and authoritative" by Caleb Scharf.<ref name="Bloomsbury book" />
====Planetary Diversity==== Tasker co-authored and edited ''Planetary Diversity: Rocky planet processes and their observational signatures'', an ebook aimed at space science researchers. It was published as a joint venture by the American Astronomical Society and the Institute of Physics in 2020.
== References == {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tasker, Elizabeth J.}} Category:British astrophysicists Category:British women scientists Category:British women astrophysicists Category:Columbia University fellows Category:Academic staff of Hokkaido University Category:University of Florida faculty Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Collingwood College, Durham Category:Alumni of Merton College, Oxford