Dianella resident and 麻豆直播 of Technology graduate Shane Walsh is about to embark on the experience of a lifetime.
Dr Walsh has been offered a prestigious Magellan Fellowship, and is the only Australian researcher to receive the award this year.
As part of the three-year Fellowship, he will travel to Chile to undertake research and instrument support duties at the Las Campanas Observatory and then complete his third year at Curtin鈥檚 Institute of Radio Astronomy (CIRA).
It鈥檚 an opportunity of a lifetime for the 27 year-old.
鈥淭his is a great opportunity to make a name for myself in the global astronomy community,鈥� he said.
While working at the Las Campanas Observatory, which is 2.5 times the size of the largest optical telescope in Australia, Mr Walsh will be observing dwarf galaxies orbiting around the Milky Way.
鈥淔inding these dwarf galaxies is what I’ll be researching in Chile and also when I return to Curtin,鈥� he said.
鈥淔or astronomers, this is an interesting area of study because it will help us understand our universe.鈥�
Mr Walsh said he looked forward to completing his Fellowship at CIRA.
鈥淚 wanted to come back to Curtin because it鈥檚 a competitive university in astronomy,鈥� Mr Walsh said.
鈥淚t is becoming significantly involved in important projects, such as the Square Kilometre Array, making it an exciting place to work.鈥�
CIRA Co-Director, Professor Steven Tingay, said Mr Walsh鈥檚 research experience in Chile would be of immense value to Curtin.
鈥淭he skills that Shane will hone in Chile will prove invaluable for analysing the data from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope when it goes online in the next few years,鈥� Professor Tingay said.
Curtin鈥檚 Professor of Radio Astronomy Engineering and CIRA Co-Director, Professor Peter Hall, also stressed the importance of Mr Walsh鈥檚 international research experience.
鈥淗is experience dealing with the technical aspects of astronomy will also be of great use to the university and astronomy in general in Western Australia,鈥� Professor Hall said.
Mr Walsh completed his Bachelor of Science and Honours in Physics in 2004 and completed his PhD at the Australian National University.
The Magellan Fellowship is run by the Anglo-Australian Observatory and the Carnegie Observatories.
Access to the Magellan telescopes is made possible by funds provided by the Federal Fovernment’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), and is coordinated by the Australian Gemini Office hosted by the Anglo-Australian Observatory in Sydney.
Mr Walsh leaves for Chile in July.
