The supernova hunter who detected the accelerating universe
Brian Schmidt is Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the Australian National University and 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics, with Adam Riess and Saul Perlmutter, for the discovery of the accelerating universe. As leader of the High-Z Supernova Search Team, he helped discover that the expansion of the universe is accelerating instead of slowing down under the effect of gravity, as expected.
The discovery was made by studying distant Type Ia supernovae, stellar explosions whose brightness can be used to estimate cosmic distances. By comparing how bright these explosions appeared with how quickly their host galaxies were moving away, Schmidt and his colleagues found evidence that the expansion of space has accelerated over billions of years.
This unexpected result led to the modern concept of dark energy, the name given to the still poorly understood component that appears to drive cosmic acceleration. It reshaped cosmology and raised new questions about the origin, composition and ultimate future of the universe. Schmidt has also worked on gamma-ray bursts, gravitational-wave transients, exoplanets, metal-poor stars and other major areas of observational astronomy.
Career and recognitions
Born and raised in Montana and Alaska, Schmidt completed degrees in astronomy and physics at the University of Arizona in 1989. He received a master’s degree in astronomy in 1992 and a PhD from Harvard University in 1993. After a fellowship at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, he joined the Australian National University in 1995, where he is Distinguished Professor of Astronomy.
For the discovery of the accelerating universe, he shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics with Adam Riess and Saul Perlmutter. His other distinctions include the Shaw Prize in Astronomy, the Gruber Prize in Cosmology and the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, shared with colleagues from the High-Z team. From 2016 to 2023 he served as Vice-Chancellor and President of the Australian National University, combining scientific research with institutional leadership.
