JILA graduate student Tatsuya Akiba (left) celebrates with advisor JILA Fellow and Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Associate Professor Ann-Marie Madigan
JILA graduate student Tatsuya Akiba, a Ph.D. candidate in the Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences department at the University of Colorado Boulder, has received the prestigious 2024 Richard Nelson Thomas Award. This honor is bestowed annually to an outstanding APS graduate student at JILA and recognizes excellence in research and academic achievements.
“Tatsuya is an enthusiastic researcher, educator, and mentor,” said JILA Fellow and Associate Professor of Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences Ann-Marie Madigan, who advises Akiba. “He won the CU Boulder Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2021. Last semester, he taught an undergraduate course on Python coding. He has served as a mentor for CU Prime, a graduate peer mentor, and the McNair programs, and he has advised several undergraduates.”
Akiba and Madigan study the gravitational dynamics of bodies in orbit around compact objects. Their current work delves into the dynamics of eccentric disks in various astrophysical contexts, including stars orbiting supermassive black holes and planetesimals around white dwarfs.
This award highlights Akiba's significant contributions to the field and underscores the innovative research being conducted at JILA. Congratulations to Tatsuya Akiba for this well-deserved recognition!
Read about Akiba's recent research at this link or listen to the podcast episode featuring Akiba below: