Laura Parker is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. She is an observational astronomer and her research group is interested in questions related to galaxy formation and evolution. In particular, using data from ground- and space-based observatories, she is trying to understand the mechanisms driving galaxy transformation over cosmic time. Her group is also interested in understanding the connection between galaxy properties and the properties of the environments in which they are found, including the relationship between galaxies and their host dark matter halos.
Her research is funded by the National Science and Engineering Council of Canada. Dr. Parker received the Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award in 2013, the John C. Polanyi Prize for Physics in 2009, and was a McMaster University Scholar from 2020-2024. She has served in many research-related leadership roles, including chairing the Gemini Observatory Science and Technology Committee, The Canada France Hawaii Telescope Science Advisory Council, and the Joint Canadian Space Astronomy Committee.
