2020 Fulbright Future Scholar Astronomy PhD Candidate Freelance Science Communicator
I want to try and answer one of humankind's greatest mysteries; Are we alone? I am currently a PhD Candidate based at the University of Southern Queensland's Toowoomba campus, in sunny Queensland, Australia. My PhD research improves the stellar and planetary characteristics of known and newly discovered planets and the stars that host them. Not only do I want to improve the physical characteristics of these stars and planets, but I also want to know what these planets are actually made out of. Are they made
During my PhD, I've been incredibly fortunate assisting in the commissioning of MinERVA-Australis. MinERVA-Australis the Southern Hemisphere's only dedicated observatory assisting in NASA's new planet-finding mission, TESS. TESS is a space-based observatory that's scouring the entire night sky for exoplanets. These planets are then confirmed using ground-based observatories such as MinERVA-Australis based in regional Queensland, Australia. Five 0.7 m telescopes at the facility can either work in unison or i