{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Peter Dunsby | birth_date = {{birth-date and age|12 November 1966}} | citizenship = | fields = cosmology, gravity | workplaces = University of Cape Town National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme | alma_mater = Queen Mary University of London | doctoral_advisor = Malcolm MacCallum | awards = S2A3 British Association Medal (2006) | website = [http://peterdunsby.net/ peterdunsby.net] }} '''Peter Dunsby''' (born 12 November 1966) is a full professor of gravitation and cosmology at the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He was the co-director of the Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Centre at the university until 2016.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://mg.co.za/article/2016-07-01-00-reaching-for-the-stars-to-boost-research-capacity|title=Reaching for the stars to boost research capacity|last=Haggard|first=Kerry|work=The M&G Online|access-date=2018-03-22|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.math.uct.ac.za/prof-peter-dunsby|title=Prof Peter Dunsby|work=University of Cape Town|accessdate=29 March 2018}}</ref> He also serves on the editorial board of the ''International Journal of Modern Physics''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldscientific.com/page/ijmpd/editorial-board|title=IJMPD Editorial Board (World Scientific)|website=www.worldscientific.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-03-26}}</ref>
Dunsby has published extensively in the fields of cosmology and gravitation, including higher-order theories of gravity and f(R) gravity,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=t4T3JosAAAAJ&hl=en|title=Peter Dunsby - Google Scholar Citations|website=scholar.google.co.uk|access-date=2018-03-22}}</ref> and was the founding Director of the South African National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme (NASSP).<ref name="researchgate">{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Dunsby|title=Peter K. S. Dunsby |website=ResearchGate|language=en|access-date=2018-03-22}}</ref>
In 2006, Dunsby was awarded the silver medal by the Southern African Association for the Advancement of Science for his contributions to theoretical cosmology. The committee called out his research on cosmic microwave background radiation and study of study of Type Ia supernova which increased accuracy of calculation of the Hubble parameter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.uct.ac.za/main/research/awards/s2a3|title=Southern African Association for the Advancement of Science (S2A3) Award {{!}} University of Cape Town|website=www.uct.ac.za|language=en|access-date=2018-03-26}}</ref> In 2016 he was presented the award for Human Capacity Development by the National Science and Technology Forum for his work developing postgraduate students and post doctoral researchers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.science.uct.ac.za/news/science-facultys-professor-peter-dunsby-honoured-nstf-awards|title=Science Faculty's Professor Peter Dunsby honoured at NSTF Awards {{!}} Faculty of Science|website=www.science.uct.ac.za|language=en|access-date=2018-03-26}}</ref>
In October 2017 Dunsby was elected to the College of Fellows of the University of Cape Town.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2017-10-18-ucts-new-fellows|title=UCT's new Fellows. {{!}}University of Cape Town|website=www.uct.ac.za|language=en|access-date=2018-04-05}}</ref>
Dunsby briefly received international attention following a 20 March 2018 report of a "very bright optical transient near the Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae" to the ''Astronomers Telegram'', an internet service for quickly disseminating information about astronomical events.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=11448|title=ATel #11448: Very bright optical transient near the Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae|website=ATel|access-date=2018-03-25}}</ref> Forty minutes later he posted again, saying that the object in question was "identified as Mars".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bryner |first=Jenna |date=2018-03-22 |title=Astronomer Announces He Has Discovered ... Mars |work=Live Science |url=https://www.livescience.com/62094-astronomer-discovers-mars.html |access-date=2018-03-26}}</ref> Dunsby later described the incident to ''Newsweek'' as "an honest mistake arising from simply not checking what else was in my camera frame, during an automated astrophotography session and of very little consequence in the scheme of things, but agreed it was rather funny. The world needs to smile more, so that’s something good that has come out of this episode.”<ref>{{Cite news |last=Godlewski |first=Nina |date=2018-03-22 |title=For 40 minutes he thought he had discovered a new object, but it turned out to be Mars |language=en |work=Newsweek |url=http://www.newsweek.com/space-discovery-mars-object-photo-857285 |access-date=2018-03-26}}</ref> ''The Astronomer's Telegram'' editors presented Dunsby with a tongue-in-cheek award as discoverer of Mars.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://twitter.com/astronomerstel/status/976139340182179841|title=ATel on Twitter|work=Twitter|access-date=2020-08-24|language=en}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website|http://peterdunsby.net/}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunsby, Peter}} Category:South African cosmologists Category:Academic staff of the University of Cape Town Category:Living people Category:1966 births Category:Place of birth missing (living people)