Professor Patricia Whitelock
Professor Patricia Whitelock’s research into stellar evolution, galactic structure and the stellar content of the Local Group galaxies has helped to broaden the frontier of astronomy both in South Africa and internationally.
She obtained a BSc honours in astronomy from University College London and, after completing her PhD degree in astrophysics at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, she returned to University College as a postdoctoral researcher. She then married fellow astronomer John Menzies, and they both took up positions as astronomers at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). Later she spent time as a senior astronomer at the Anglo Australian Observatory before returning to SAAO, where she has at various times been head of the public relations and education division, head of the astronomy division and managing director. She is also currently Adjunct Professor in the department of astronomy at the University of Cape Town.
Whitelock’s research has been directed at understanding the process by which stars undergo mass loss towards the end of their lives, as well as the contributions of these stars to the integrated light of distant galaxies. She has taken a special interest in how pulsating red-giant stars can be used as distance indicators. This helps us to establish the distances of a wide variety of galaxies as well as to study the structure of our own galaxy, a vital step in understanding how it formed. The unique facilities at SAAO have enabled her to undertake long-term photometric monitoring of stars, particularly at near-infrared wavelengths. The breakthroughs came from combining this data with observations from various spacecraft, in particular the InfraRed Astronomical Satellite, the Infrared Space Observatory and Hipparcos, the European Space Agency’s astrometry satellite.
In addition to her research, Whitelock has made significant contributions to the development of astronomy in South Africa. She co-ordinated the NRF’s astronomy strategic planning in 2000, helped to establish the National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme to train postgraduate students in astrophysics and related fields, and chaired its steering committee for the first 10 years. She also served on the first steering committee of the International Astronomical Union’s Global Office of Astronomy for Development.
In the last eight years, she has authored or co-authored 33 articles in international journals such as Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS), Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Astrophysics and Space Science as well as coediting the book Scientific Requirements of Extremely Large Telescopes. She has also served as a reviewer for the Astrophysical Journal, MNRAS, the Astronomical Journal and Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan.
Among her many associations and accolades, Whitelock is an honorary fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (UK), former president and honorary member of the SA Institute of Physics, a fellow of the Royal Society of SA, and a member of the SA Academy of Science. She has also been a member of the boards of various organisations including the Strasbourg Data Centre in France, the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences and the SA National Institute of Theoretical Physics.