Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize

The Tinsley Prize recognizes an outstanding research contribution to astronomy or astrophysics, of an exceptionally creative or innovative character. The prize is normally awarded every two years. No restrictions are placed on a candidate's citizenship or country of residency. Nominations are open and are due on 30 June.

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Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize Committee

2024 - Dennis Zaritsky

For his innovative observations probing the structure and evolution of galaxies.
Bill Paxton

2021 – Bill Paxton

For his inspired work on providing, maintaining, and supporting the use of open-source stellar-evolution codes that have seeped into the foundation of research and education efforts.

2020 – Krzysztof Stanek (shared w/Christopher Kochanek)

For their innovative contributions to time-domain astronomy and, in particular, their leadership in the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN).

2020 – Christopher Kochanek (shared w/Krzysztof Stanek)

For their innovative contributions to time-domain astronomy and, in particular, their leadership in the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN).

2018 – Julianne Dalcanton

For her pioneering use of large surveys to study low-surface-brightness galaxies and her leadership in developing Hubble Space Telescope surveys to create a legacy of data on resolved stellar populations of nearby galaxies.

2016 – Andrew Gould

For his development of gravitational microlensing as an important tool for the discovery and characterization of exoplanets.

2014 – Chris Lintott

For his insight and creativity that created a transformative approach to science by engaging nonscientists in cutting edge research.

2012 – Ronald L. Gilliland

For his innovative work on ultra-high signal-to-noise observations related to time-domain photometry and the opening of this new frontier.

2010 – Drake Deming

For his innovative and pioneering work detecting thermal infrared emission from transiting extrasolar planets using the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Year Recipient(s) Citation
2008 Mark Reid For his precision astrometry experiments with the VLBI and the VLBA and his pioneering use of cosmic masers as astronomical tools. His innovative research in radio astronomy has enhanced our understanding of the processes in star forming regions and has resulted in primary distance measurements throughout the Local Group of galaxies.
2006 John E. Carlstrom For his innovative work on the use of interferometry to study the early Universe through CMB fluctuations and polarimetry and the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. He has produced results that strongly constrain cosmological models of the amount and nature of dark matter and energy and the influence of cosmic inflation.
2004 Ronald J. Reynolds For his discovery of the warm ionized medium in our Galaxy using Fabry-Perot spectroscopy, his leadership in understanding its origins and for his development of the Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper that has revealed its spatial structure.
2002 Geoffrey W. Marcy, R. Paul Butler, Steven S. Vogt For their pioneering work in characterizing planetary systems orbiting distant stars.
2000 Charles Alcock For his intellectual leadership of the MACHO project, both scientifically and technically.
1998 Robert E. Williams
1996 Aleksander Wolszczan
1994 Raymond Davis
1992 Robert H. Dicke
1990 Antoine Labeyrie
1988 Harold I. Ewen, Edward M. Purcell
1986 S. Jocelyn Bell Burnell