Astrophysicist Dr. Sarah Rugheimer has been selected as a TED Fellow, joining a class of 20 change-makers from around the world to deliver a talk on the TED stage this April in Vancouver. Rugheimer was selected for her work on modeling how to detect signs of life in an exoplanet atmosphere.
Dr Sarah Rugheimer
She says, “I am extremely excited to join this cohort of TED fellow. TED has long been for me a source of inspiration for both my personal and professional life. Science communication is something I care deeply about, and I look forward to being able to share my work on how to detect life on other planets with a global audience in April.”
Sarah’s research interests are modeling the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars. She is interested in particular on how to distinguish biology from geology on those distant worlds. With current telescopes, astronomers are now finding for the first time planets that are Earth-sized and habitable. In the next two decades, first with James Webb Space Telescope launching in 2021m and later with follow-up missions, astronomers will be able to detect the atmospheres of habitable rocky planets. This question of “Are we alone in the Universe” is the main driving inspiration for her day-to-day work.
Sarah is a Hugh Price Fellow at Jesus College and a Glasstone Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. She co-hosts a podcast with fellow exoplanet astronomer Dr. Sarah Ballard called Self-care with Drs. Sarah about navigating life’s challenges by prioritizing your mental and physical well-being first.
Said TED Fellows director Shoham Arad, “TED Fellows are an incredibly diverse group but they all have at least one thing in common: they are tackling extremely important problems in a unique and brilliant way. This year’s class is no exception. We are so excited to support them and their important work – and can’t wait for them to share their ideas at TED this year.”
Founded in 2009, the TED Fellows program now has 492 Fellows from 99 countries. In its eleven-year history, the TED Fellows program has created a powerful, far-reaching network made up of scientists, doctors, activists, artists, entrepreneurs, inventors, journalists and beyond.
Applications for the 2021 TED Fellows class will be open later this year. Interested applicants should visit the TED Fellows program website for information and updates about the fellowship.
About the TED Fellows program
The TED Fellows program brings together young innovators from around the world and across disciplines, who display both outstanding achievement and exemplary character, to raise international awareness of their work and maximize their impact. The program offers Fellows full participation in a TED or TEDGlobal Conference, a two-day pre-conference of workshops and activities, a Fellows Retreat, ongoing professional coaching and mentoring, dedicated PR coaching and active participation in the TED community, including the global TED Fellows network.