Ryan Chornock
I am interested in the many transient and time-variable objects which populate our universe. Most of my work has centered on energetic cosmic explosions in the form of supernovae and gamma-ray bursts. I am currently heavily involved in Pan-STARRS, which is surveying the sky nightly from Haleakala on Maui, and in the spectroscopic followup of new discoveries from it. In particular, Pan-STARRS has proven to be a good source for finding the most luminous supernovae known. I am actively studying these objects in an attempt to understand what makes these objects so luminous relative to normal supernovae and why a small fraction of massive stars end their lives in such a manner. In addition, Pan-STARRS provides a rich dataset for the discovery of other rare or unusual objects, such as tidal disruptions of stars by the supermassive black holes which reside in the centers of galaxies. I completed my PhD at UC Berkeley.