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In his tenure as the first Director of the Dunlap Institute, James Graham oversaw growth and development that made the Dunlap Institute a vital complement to the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics (DAA) and the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA), adding to the international reputation of the University of Toronto’s astronomy group.
Under his leadership, the institute grew from a contingent of two Dunlap Fellows, to three faculty and ten Dunlap Fellows. He championed significant instrumentation projects that have begun to produce scientific results or will be commissioned in the near future. He has positioned the institute to play a significant role in major advances in coming decades, through international collaborations and involvement with the Thirty Meter Telescope, Keck Observatory and the Gemini Observatories.
Graham’s strong commitment to training the next generation of astronomers is reflected in a career pipeline established under his directorship, which includes the annual Summer Undergraduate Research Program, the Dunlap Institute Summer School, and a growing association with organizations such as the Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators.
His support of outreach reflected the institute’s original mandate to share astronomical discovery with the public, and was no more evident than in the June 5th 2012 Transit of Venus at Varsity Stadium event, one of the largest ever astronomical public outreach events.
Graham is currently Vice Chair for the Department of Astronomy, University of California Berkeley.
