Lankan-born Dr Ray Jay awarded 2020 Carl Sagan Medal

Sri Lankan-born Dr. Ray Jayawardhana (aka RayJay), currently Harold Tanner Dean of the Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences and a Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University, has been awarded the 2020 Carl Sagan Medal for outstanding contributions to the dissemination of planetary science research to the general public.  

The medal is awarded by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the prestigious American Astronomical Society.

Dr. Jayawardhana has published four popular books to widespread acclaim, one of which was the basis for an hour-long CBC TV documentary. His most recent book, Child of the Universe, is aimed at children and builds on the legacy of Carl Sagan by revealing humanity’s deep and enduring links with the cosmos.

Over three decades, Dr Jayawardhana has written frequently for many prestigious and widely read publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Science. While reaching out to the general public, Dr Jayawardhana has remained a highly published and cited scientist and has been honored repeatedly for his research accomplishments.

Upon winning the medal, Dr. Jayawardhana commented: “I'm humbled by the award and grateful to those who nominated me for it. It feels special to receive a medal named after Carl Sagan, who inspired me when I was a teenager, and to do so while I’m at Cornell, where he worked for decades.”