He is a leading expert in the field of stellar seismology: literally using the surface vibrations of vibrating stars to probe their hidden interiors and histories. To detect the subtle signatures of these `ringing' stars, Dr. Matthews has observed with giant telescopes on remote mountaintops in Hawaii, Chile, Australia and Russia. However, he realised that even the best telescopes on Earth could not detect the most subtle oscillations, so he decided Canada needed a dedicated telescope in space for this research. Photo: Martin Dee