Ned Ladd

Educational Background

• Ph.D., Harvard University

Scholarly Interests

• Astronomy
• Star formation
• Molecular cloud physics
• Ned studies the process by which stars like the Sun are formed. Star formation is a dynamic process, involving the gravitational collapse of giant clouds of gas and dust over timescales of a million years or more. By measuring the particulars of the collapse process, generally using radio telescopes to detect the emission from the in falling gas, he tries to understand how a star decides its final mass. Since stars are the basic building blocks for clusters, galaxies, and the entire universe, understanding the rate of star formation and the mass spectrum of the stars that form has implications for the evolution of our present-day universe.