I am an astronomer using some of the most advanced telescopes ever built to study stars right on their deathbed. In parallel, I simulate these stellar
systems with high performance codes on supercomputers, using our results to learn everything we can about stellar evolution — this is the core of my research
in my Masters at Macquarie University. I'm interested in a broad range of astrophysics (not just stars!) and have done projects looking at time dilation with supernovae, merging binary black holes around
active galactic nuclei, mapping stellar surfaces with data from space telescopes, and searching for the elusive long-period radio transients with interferometric arrays.
I graduated from the University of Queensland in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science (Physics) and a Bachelor of Mathematics (Applied Mathematics). In 2024 I graduated with a First Class Honours in Physics, with my thesis focusing on modelling colliding wind nebulae.
I've worked for 5 years as a teaching assistant and casual academic at UQ and MQ, and I'm passionate about helping out students and developing engaging course material.
Hey there! I'm Ryan.
I'm a Master of Research student at Macquarie University
I like to study stars, galaxies, and everything in between
The Serpent Eating Its Own Tail
My most recent paper is all about what we can learn about the most massive stellar pairs using weird nebula that enshroud them. If you're not a trained astrophysicist don't sweat! There's an annotated version of the paper using as little jargon as possible.
The expanding Universe slows down time?
My first paper uses the data from the Dark Energy Survey to measure time dilation in the explosions of distant white dwarf stars. If you're not a trained astrophysicist don't sweat! There's an annotated version of the paper using as little jargon as possible.
Want to see
my talks?
There's not much point doing science unless we communicate it. I'm passionate about communicating science, both to experts and non-experts. I have a selection of recorded talks and seminar slides that you can view to your hearts content.
Data visualisation is important (and pretty!)
Across my research and studies I've dealt with a lot of data, and good data needs good data visualisation. Take a look at some of my favourite plots across the last several years!
Want to hear more about me?
I've gotten up to silly and interesting things in my time, some impressive and some less so. If you're a prospective employer than you should definitely see my About Me page.
I'm a professional landscape artist too!
I took a couple of years away from study to instead paint full time as a professional landscape artist. It was a really cool experience, and you can read all about it here (with pictures).