Brunswick resident begins fellowship at European Southern Observatory in Munich

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Grant Tremblay

Brunswick, Maine, resident Grant Tremblay thinks in terms of light years. It’s a natural habit: He has spent years studying astronomical phenomena using sophisticated space telescopes like NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory.

Tremblay earned his doctoral degree in astrophysical sciences and technology at Rochester Institute of Technology in May.

Tremblay accepted a post-doctoral fellowship with the European Southern Observatory in Munich, Germany. The astronomical organization—comprised of members of the European Union and Brazil—operates large ground-based observatories in the desert of Chile. The three-year fellowship places Tremblay at “the crossroads for astronomy in Europe” and puts him in contact with some of the leading scientists in his field, he says.

As a fellow at European Southern Observatory, Tremblay will expand upon his thesis research on active galactic nuclei, or bright galaxies that emit enormous amounts of radiation.

In addition to his own research, Tremblay will provide support for the organization’s Very Large Telescope and the future Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array.