James Taylor

James Taylor
Associate Professor
Location: PHY 256
Phone: 519-888-4567 x48115

Biography

Dr. Taylor is using whatever tools he can, including numerical simulations, astrophysical theory and observational data, to try to figure what dark matter is, where it is, and how it behaves. His research includes gravitational lensing and dynamical studies of galaxy clusters, the properties of the smallest galaxies in the local universe, and the theory behind dark matter halos around galaxies and clusters.

Research Interests

  • Dark matter

  • Cosmological structure formation

  • Galaxy formation

  • Galaxy dynamics

  • Galaxy clusters

  • Massive black holes

  • Cosmology

  • Computational & theoretical astrophysics

  • Astrophysics and Gravitation

Scholarly Research

Industrial Research

member, International Astronomical Union, member, Canadian Astronomical Society, ​member, American Astronomical Society

Education

  • 2001 Ph. D. (Astronomy), University of Victoria, Canada

  • 1994 M. Sc. (Astronomy), University of Toronto, Canada

  • 1993 B. Sc. (Mathematics & Physics), University of Toronto, Canada

Awards

  • 2009–2014: NSERC Discovery Grant

  • 2006–2009: NSERC Discovery Grant

  • 2006–2007: Co-Investigator, Hubble Space Telescope Cycle 15 Snapshot Proposal #10881 (143 orbits)

Professional Associations

  • Member, International Astronomical Union

  • Member, Canadian Astronomical Society

  • Member, American Astronomical Society

Affiliations and Volunteer Work

  • Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics

  • Affiliate, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Teaching*

  • PHYS 236 - Computational Physics 1
    • Taught in 2020, 2021
  • PHYS 249 - Computational Physics and Linear Algebra
    • Taught in 2022, 2023
  • PHYS 364 - Mathematical Physics 1
    • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2024
  • PHYS 781 - Fundamentals of Astrophysics
    • Taught in 2023, 2025
  • PHYS 787 - Cosmology
    • Taught in 2023, 2025

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

Selected/Recent Publications

  • What Do Dark Matter Halo Properties Tell Us about Their Mass Assembly Histories? Wong, Anson W.C., Taylor, James E. 2012 ApJ 757, 102

  • The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). I. Introduction to the Survey, Ferrarese et al. 2012 ApJS, 200, 4

  • COSMOS: Stochastic Bias from Measurements of Weak Lensing and Galaxy Clustering, Jullo, E., Rhodes, J., Kiessling, A., Taylor, J. E., Massey, R., Berge, J., Schimd, C., Kneib, J.-P., Scoville, N. 2012 ApJ 750, 37

  • Measuring the Geometry of the Universe from Weak Gravitational Lensing behind Galaxy Groups in the HST COSMOS Survey Taylor, J. E., Massey, R. J., Leauthaud, A., George, M. R., Rhodes, J., Kitching, T. D., Capak, P., Ellis, R., Finoguenov, A., Ilbert, O., Jullo, E., Kneib, J.-P., Koekemoer, A. M., Scoville, N., Tanaka, M., 2012 ApJ 749, 127

  • New constraints on the evolution of the stellar-to-dark matter connection: a combined analysis of galaxy-galaxy lensing, clustering, and stellar mass functions from z=0.2 to z=1 Leauthaud, A., Tinker, J., Bundy, K., Behroozi, P. S., Massey, R., Rhodes, J., George, M. R., Kneib, J.-P., Benson, A., Wechsler, R. H., Busha, M. T., Capak, P., Cortes, M., Ilbert, O., Koekemoer, A. M., Le Fevre, O., Lilly, S., McCracken, H. J., Salvato, M., Schrabback, T., Scoville, N., Smith, T., Taylor, J. E., ApJ in press (preprint arXiv:1104.0928)

  • The GALEX Ultraviolet Virgo Cluster Survey (GUViCS). I: The UV luminosity function of the central 12 square degrees A. Boselli et al. 2011 A&A 528, 107

  • Please see Dr. Taylor's website for a complete list of his publications.