I am a theoretical astrophysicist working as an associate professor in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics of the University of Toronto. My current research interests centre on planets in our Solar system and beyond. I study their internal structure, their dynamics, and their formation site -- the protoplanetary discs.

I grew up in southern China (Guangzhou, tropical) and got an undergraduate education in USTC (Univ. of Sci. & Tech. of China) in eastern China (Hefei, moist subtropical). Then I obtained a PhD degree in Caltech under the supervision of Prof. Peter Goldreich (Pasadena, mediterranean), followed by two postdoc jobs in UK (London, marine west coast) and Canada (Toronto, moist continental). Now we are settled in the peace-loving (but electricity-starving because everyone is using so much) Canada..

Past and Current Students and Postdocs

Graduate Students:
Snezana Prodan: (2007, short project, joint with Norm Murray) planetary dynamics in binary systems
Andrew Shannon: (2006, short project) the Pluto-Charon disk(manuscript in preparation)
                                 (2007-, PhD student) exo- and solar Kuiper belts
Fernando Pena: (2005-, PhD student) internal dynamics of extra-solar jupiters
Rodrigo Fernandez: (2005, short project) metallic gas in beta Pic disk (ApJ)
Lawrence Mudryk: (2004, short project) stability of planets in binary systems (ApJ)
Hilding Nielson: (2003, short project) 'weather' in pulsating white dwarfs

Undergraduate Students:
Kyryl Zagorovsky (2006): gas dynamics and radiative equilibrium in debris disc
Mike Ramsahai (2006, joint with Norm Murray): Kozai mechanism in planet migration (ApJ)
Kyryl Zagorovsky (2005): planet-dust interaction in debris disks (ms. in preparation)
Gurtina Besla: (2004, now graduate student @ CfA) spatial structure in dusty debris disks (ApJ)
Jordan Ang: (2004, now graduate student @UofT), non-adiabatic oscillation of SdB stars  (submitted to ApJ)
Nathan Leigh: (2003) accretion history of T Tauri stars

Ed Thommes: postdoc (joint with CITA), planetary migration and dynamics

Teaching


Fall 2003, Winter 2004

Stars & Solar System (AST221),
Introduction to Research (AST1501Y),
graduate mini-course: planetary dynamics (AST3100)

Fall 2004

Winter 2005(on leave)

Stars & Solar System (AST221)

Fall 2005, Winter 2006

Stars & Solar System (AST221),

Astronomy @ the Frontiers (SCI199Y)

Fall 2006, Winter 2007

Fall 2007 (on leave)

Radiative transfer (AST1440)
Astronomy @ the Frontiers (SCI199)

Winter 2008

Radiative transfer (AST1440)
Astronomy @ the Frontiers (SCI199)

2009-2010 (sabbatical)

(KIAA, Beijing; Caltech)

Fall 2010

Stars (AST1410)

Winter 2011

Origin & Evolution of Universe (AST121)

Contact Me:
phone: +1(416)9465633 (office); fax: +1(416)9467287;
email: wu_at_astro.utoronto.ca ('at' substituted by @);
mail: Yanqin Wu
        Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics
        University of Toronto
        50 St. George Street, Room 101
        Toronto, ON M5S 3H4,
        Canada

Shuyu: the Udon Warrior