CV

Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Division of Natural Science, Department of Science, Technology & Society, York University
Adjunct Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University
rogerson@yorku.ca

Positions

• Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Division of Natural Science, Department of Science, Technology & Society, York University (2025–present)
• Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream (tenure track), Division of Natural Science, Department of Science, Technology & Society, York University (2020–2025)
• Adjunct Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University (2020–present)
• Analyst and Contributor, CBC/Radio-Canada, Ottawa, ON (2015–present)
• Science Advisor, Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ingenium, Ottawa, ON (2017–2020)
• Researcher/Programmer, Astronomy & Space Sciences, Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, ON (2012)

Education

• Ph.D., Astrophysics, York University (2016)
• M.Sc., Astrophysics, York University (2011)
• Honours B.Sc., McMaster University (2007)

Book

• Moores, J.E., Rogerson, J.A., & Parsons, M.D. (2024). Daydreaming in the Solar System: Surfing Saturn’s Rings, Golfing on the Moon, and Other Adventures in Space Exploration. Foreword by R.J. Sawyer. MIT Press (distributed by Penguin Random House). Popular science book.

Teaching

Most of my teaching is in the Division of Natural Science, which offers large introductory science courses to students outside the Faculty of Science as part of their general education requirements. My students are pursuing degrees that lead to every kind of career, so my courses aim not only to teach science but to show how science fits into society, and to build students’ lasting engagement with it.

• C4: Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom (2022–2024)
• PHYS 5490 3.0: Astronomical Research Project (2022–2023)
• NATS 1530 3.0: Science of Space Flight (2021–2023)
• NATS 1570 3.0: Exploring the Solar System (2020–2023)
• NATS 1740 6.0: Astronomy (2021–2026)
• NATS 1745 6.0: History of Astronomy (2020–2026)

Since 2020 I have taught more than 4,500 students at York. I lead a team of teaching assistants in each course and run a teaching mentorship program for graduate students who want to try teaching and get feedback.

Course design

• SC/NATS 1740 6.0 Astronomy: Full redesign (first offered 2023–2024)
• SC/NATS 1745 6.0 History of Astronomy: Major revision
• C4: Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom: Team-taught capstone contributions (2022–2024)

Science communication

I regularly explain astronomy and space news to the public, with more than 275 media appearances since 2017. Outlets include CBC Radio One, CTV News Channel, SiriusXM Canada Talks, CTV Ottawa, AM770 CHQR Calgary, Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CP24, AM900 CHML Hamilton.

Selected appearances and articles

• CBC Kids News (2023): Unidentified objects shot down over Canadian airspace
• CBC Radio One, Cross Country Check Up (2022): “Ask Me Anything” episode
• CTV News Channel (2022): The first JWST Images
• CBC Radio One, Quirks and Quarks (2022): The Earth cooling
• CTV News Channel (2021): The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope
• The Conversation (2021): NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter flight on Mars opens up new frontiers in space exploration
• Toronto Star (2020): The naked-eye comet NEOWISE
• The Hill Times (2019): Investing in the new space economy
• CBC News (2019): Space museum reaches for the stars with new Nintendo game
• CBC Television, The National (2019): Asteroid 2019 OK close pass of Earth
• CBC Radio One, national syndication (2019): 50th anniversary of Apollo 11
• CBC Radio One, Quirks and Quarks (2017): Listener Q&A: the Big Bang, quantum fluctuations and more

Creative work

• Daydreaming in the Solar System: Co-author (popular science book; see Books) (2024)
• StarBlox Inc. (video game, Nintendo Switch): Science Advisor (2019)
• York Universe, one-hour live radio program and podcast, Astronomy.FM: Co-creator, co-producer and co-host (2009–2020)
• “Beyond the Sun” segment, Straight Talk, Sun News Network: Co-writer and co-presenter (2013–2014)
• Guest curator, CASCA Twitter account @AstroCanada (three week-long residencies): Invited (2014)

Public talks

• Mars: Earth’s distant cousin?, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Ottawa Centre (2020)
• Space’s contribution to education and interest in science, Canadian Space Society, Ottawa (2019)
• Black holes: from speculative to spectacular, RCIScience, Toronto (2019)
• Communicating science, Science Literacy Week, University of Ottawa (2019)
• Measuring supermassive black holes, Canada Science and Technology Museum, Ottawa (2019)
• The first interstellar visitor, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Ottawa Centre (2019)
• Engaging everyday Canadians with astronomy, Canadian Space Society, Ottawa (2018)
• Monitoring broad absorption line quasar variability, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Ottawa Centre (2018)
• The Cassini–Huygens mission, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Ottawa Centre (2017)
• Saturn, its rings, and its moons, Solar System Social, Toronto (2017)
• The Cassini–Huygens mission, Starfest, Ayton, ON (2017)
• Building a scale model of the solar system (talk and activity), Science Travels, Ottawa (2017)
• Classifying the pieces of our solar system, Durham Region Astronomical Association, Whitby, ON (2014)
• Scientific radio and podcasting (workshop, with L. Manzer), CSEE Genomes and Biomes Conference, Montréal (2014)
• Planet vs. dwarf planet?, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Mississauga Centre (2014)
• Gravity in the extreme!, Ontario Science Centre Star Party and Science Slam, Toronto (2013)
• Ground control to Commander Chris, Royal Ontario Museum OWLS volunteers, Toronto (2013)
• Interactive demonstration: the constellation Orion (co-presented), What’s Up in Space? (2nd annual), Newmarket, ON (2013)
• A tour through the solar system, Let’s Talk Science! Astronomy Day (2013)
• Planets beyond our solar system: the hunt for Earth 2.0, Pickering Naturalists Club, Pickering, ON (2012)
• Guest astronomer, “Ask an Astronomer”, One World, One Sky, Ontario Science Centre, Toronto (2010)

Research

My research focuses on quasars, actively feeding supermassive black holes in the distant universe, and in particular on the variability of broad absorption line outflows.

Refereed publications

• Kinemuchi, K., et al. (31 authors, incl. Rogerson, J.A.) (2020). The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping Project: Photometric g and i light curves. The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 250, 10. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/aba43f
• Grier, C.J., et al. (34 authors, incl. Rogerson, J.A.) (2019). The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping Project: Initial C IV lag results from four years of data. The Astrophysical Journal, 887, 38. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab4ea5
• Shen, Y., et al. (35 authors, incl. Rogerson, J.A.) (2019). The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping Project: Improving lag detection with an extended multi-year baseline. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 883, L14. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab3e0f
• Rogerson, J.A., Hall, P.B., Ahmed, N.S., Rodríguez Hidalgo, P., Brandt, W.N., & Filiz Ak, N. (2018). Emergence and variability of broad absorption line quasar outflows. The Astrophysical Journal, 862, 22. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aabfe5
• Grier, C.J., et al. (42 authors, incl. Rogerson, J.A.) (2017). The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping Project: Hα and Hβ reverberation measurements from first-year spectroscopy and photometry. The Astrophysical Journal, 851, 21. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa98dc
• Rogerson, J.A., Hall, P.B., Rodríguez Hidalgo, P., Pirkola, P., Brandt, W.N., & Filiz Ak, N. (2016). Multi-epoch observations of extremely high-velocity emergent broad absorption. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 457, 405–420. doi:10.1093/mnras/stv3010
• Rafiee, A., Pirkola, P., Hall, P.B., Galati, N., Rogerson, J.A., & Ameri, A. (2016). Vanishing absorption and blueshifted emission in FeLoBAL quasars. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 459, 2472–2485. doi:10.1093/mnras/stw634
• Rogerson, J.A., & Hall, P.B. (2012). Investigating Mg II absorption in paired quasar sight-lines. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 421, 971–982. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.20317.x
• Rogerson, J.A., Hall, P.B., Snedden, S.A., Brotherton, M.S., & Anderson, S.F. (2011). Chandra X-ray observations of two unusual BAL quasars. New Astronomy, 16, 128–137. doi:10.1016/j.newast.2010.07.002

White papers and articles

• Rogerson, J.A. (2021). NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter flight on Mars opens up new frontiers in space exploration. The Conversation. link
• Ouellette, N., et al. (10 authors, incl. Rogerson, J.A.) (2019). Astronomy advocacy and engagement. White paper, Canadian Long Range Plan for Astronomy 2020 (LRP2020). doi:10.5281/zenodo.3825127
• Hall, P.B., et al. (55 authors, incl. Rogerson, J.A.) (2019). The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer. White paper, Canadian Long Range Plan for Astronomy 2020 (LRP2020). doi:10.5281/zenodo.3765451
• Rogerson, J.A. (2019). Nurturing Canada’s space economy now will yield exponential growth. The Hill Times. link

Service

• Co-Chair, Committee on Academic Petitions, Faculty of Science (2023–present)
• Member (2020–2023) and Co-Chair (2022–2023), Committee on Examinations and Academic Standards, Faculty of Science (2020–2023)
• Academic Honesty Coordinator, Division of Natural Science (2023–present)
• Member, Education and Public Outreach Committee, Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) (2020–2023)
• Canadian Representative, Education and Public Outreach Committee, Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) (2018–2021)
• Local Organizing Committee, Indigenous Sky Knowledge Symposium, Ingenium, Ottawa (2020)
• Local Organizing and Program Committees, Canadian Association of Science Centres (CASC) Annual Conference, Ingenium, Ottawa (2020)
• Coordinator, Science Slam Ottawa (2017–2019)
• Member, Women in STEM Initiative, Ingenium (2017–2018)
• Social Media Coordinator, Science Borealis (2016–2018)
• Reviewer, Gemini Observatory Fast Turnaround Program (2015)
• Member, York University Astronomical Observatory team (2007–2016)

Awards

• Teaching Award Nominee, York University (2021)
• Ralph Nicholls Graduate Award in Science Communication, Physics and Astronomy Graduate Conference, York University (2014)
• Ralph Nicholls Graduate Award in Science Communication, Physics and Astronomy Graduate Conference, York University (2009)

Memberships

• Canadian Astronomical Society – Société canadienne d’astronomie (CASCA)
• International Astronomical Union (IAU)
• Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC)
• Citizen Science Association

Last updated November 2026.