Astronomer Stéphanie Côté scans the cosmos to unravel the mysteries of dark matter.

Basically, I have two jobs. I do my own astronomy research and I also work for the Gemini Observatory, which is a set of twin 8-metre telescopes located in Hawaii and Chile. I'm the liaison for Canadian astronomers who want to use the Gemini telescopes.

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"Everything about astronomy grabs the imagination -- the universe, planets, stars, galaxies. Every time we build a better instrument, we make a new discovery."

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Current Projects

My own research focuses on the biggest mystery of the universe -- dark matter. It makes up 95% of the matter in the universe, but you can't see it. You can only calculate it from the movement of galaxies and other bodies.

I study dark matter using dwarf galaxies. These are galaxies that are about 10 times smaller than our Milky Way, but they have much more dark matter. Dwarf galaxies are like little espresso cups of dark matter, while our galaxy is more like cappuccino.

My biggest research breakthrough so far has been the discovery of new dwarf galaxies. Our galaxy – the Milky Way – is part of a group of over 30 galaxies called the Local Group. The Local Group has many dwarf galaxies. I figured that it's probably not unique that way, so I looked at the two nearest groups of galaxies -- the Sculptor and Centaurist groups. I found about three dozen dwarf galaxies that no one had seen before.

Now I'm studying the dark matter in those galaxies and how they rotate. This can teach us a lot about how the universe evolved.

Getting There: Road to NRC

I've loved science since I was three years old. When I was 13, I read a book called The First Three Minutes by Stephen Weinberg. The idea of the Big Bang and the whole history of the universe really caught my imagination.

After that, I saved my pocket money to buy Scientific American every month. I also read the French equivalent – La Recherche.

When I entered university, I was worried about the job market, so I wanted to study solar energy or fibre optics – something that could be marketable. But in my second semester, I took a little introductory astronomy course and I was hooked.

I did my B.Sc. at the Université de Montréal. Then I did a Master's degree in astronomy, also in Montréal, though I spent some time working in Holland. Finally I did my Ph.D. in Australia. The southern sky is less observed, so it was easier to find interesting discoveries there.

After my Ph.D., I did postdoctoral work in Munich, Germany, and in Victoria. Then I got the position with Gemini and I've been here for eleven years.

Life in a Research Lab

As an astronomer, I have complete freedom in how I spend my time. The first thing I do when I arrive in my office is to answer email inquiries from astronomers across Canada who want to use the Gemini Telescopes. I always do my work for Gemini first, to make sure the programs are ready for the telescopes as soon as possible, but I also try to do my own research every day.

One of the myths about astronomers is that we spend every night at the telescope. Actually, an astronomer will make telescope observations four or five times a year. It takes you the rest of the year to interpret the data that you collect during those few nights. Most of your days are spent in front of a computer analysing the raw images that you received.

Another myth is that astronomers are all old bald men. I've seen a couple of those guys, and it's true that there are fewer women, but that's changing. In Canada, about 15% of the working astronomers are women. In Ph.D. programs, about 25% are women, so there will be more female astronomers in the future.

Stéphanie After Hours

People say astronomy is a passion, but for me it's an obsession. If I don't give myself conscious limits, I'll work constantly. I say I'm a recovering workaholic.

These days though my 2 year old son keeps me extra busy after hours! This means I have to be extra efficient during the work week, although I still manage to get a few hours of work on the week-ends during his naps.

Exercise: I'm crazy about tango dancing. Also, my boyfriend likes ballroom dancing, so we usually go dancing on the weekends. I also like hiking and geocaching, and Victoria is just a great spot for that.

Books: I have piles of books, especially about history and archaeology. Plus I read French novels, so I won't lose my French. When I was studying in Australia, I didn't speak French for almost two years.

Movies: My boyfriend and I are movie addicts. I like guy movies – stuff with action or detective stories. The best movie I've seen lately was The Life of Others.

Interested in the Gemini Observatory? Learn more at http://www.gemini.edu/
Got Questions?

• Feel free to drop Stéphanie a line at education@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca .
• Be sure to address your question to Stéphanie and she'll try to answer it as best she can.