David R. Ballantyne

Current Information

I am a postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA). My research is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Research Interests

My research concentrates on topics in high-energy astrophysics with an emphasis on intrepretation of X-ray data. My main interest is in the physics of accretion disks around both black holes and neutron stars. I often make use of data from X-ray telescopes such as XMM-Newton and RXTE in my research. I have also worked on the radiative environment of gamma-ray bursts and models of outflows from AGN.

Completed Education

1) Ph.D. Astronomy

Completed at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge. I was part of the X-ray Group under the supervision of Prof. Andy Fabian. A PDF copy of my PhD thesis, entitled Ionized Accretion Discs around Black Holes is available for download here.
While in Cambridge I was a member of Churchill College.

2) M.Sc. Astrophysics

Completed at the Department of Astronomy at the University of Toronto.
While in Toronto I was a Junior Fellow at Massey College.

3) B.Sc. Physics and Astronomy (Honours)

Completed at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Victoria.
This degree was obtained with distinction.

Page Last Updated: July 29, 2004
Updated by: David Ballantyne