Classification: Primary Faculty

Fields of Study: Astrophysics and Cosmology

Research Interests: 

The principal area of research is theoretical cosmology, with the primary goal of correctly interpreting the many high precision data now being made available by observations at both high and low redshifts. The Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker cosmology we have been developing, known as the R_h=ct Universe, has thus far been favoured over the current standard model by over 25 such measurements, promising to simply and elegantly resolve long-standing puzzles, such as the nature of cosmological redshift (i.e., whether it is, or is not, merely the conventional lapse function in general relativity), the CMB temperature and electroweak horizon problems in the early Universe, and the (apparently) premature formation of galaxies and quasars at z>6. This investigation draws heavily from ongoing work with general relativity and its application to black-hole systems including, and especially, the supermassive object (known as Sagittarius A*) at the Galactic center. Our group proposed and developed the concept for imaging the shadow produced by this black hole, that has led to the creation of the so-called Event Horizon Telescope, now attempting to fulfill the promise of testing general relativity in the strong-field limit.