Coughlin receives McKnight Professorship
School of Physics and Astronomy Assistant Professor Michael Coughlin has been awarded a 2024 McKnight Land-Grant Professorship.
Coughlin was recognized for his research probing astrophysical explosions from merging neutron stars and black holes, which serve to measure the expansion rate of the Universe and properties of matter at the highest densities in the Cosmos. His efforts in software and hardware development were also recognized as well as his leadership in the field of Multi Messenger astronomy. Coughlin is a member of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and the Zwicky Transient Facility, using both gravitational waves and light to study neutron star/black hole collisions.
The Land-Grant Professorship comes with a monetary award which is to be used to further Coughlin's research. The designation of 'McKnight Land-Grant Professor' is held by recipients for a two-year period and recognizes outstanding accomplishments and promise among the University's assistant professors.