From 2008 to 2013, my astronomy work was mainly software development: see the software page.
Between October 2004 and September 2008 I worked with Jon Loveday for a DPhil (PhD), A census of K-band galaxies from the UKIDSS Large Area Survey looking at hundreds of thousands of galaxies in near-infrared light. The main source of data for this project was a new survey, UKIDSS. (Jon Loveday and I were at the telescope in Hawaii when the first UKIDSS survey observations were made in May 2005.) I also used data from SDSS and 2MASS.
The main results included a K-band luminosity function from UKIDSS (with redshifts from SDSS), along with the bivariate brightness distribution (number of galaxies per unit volume as a function of luminosity and surface brightness). See this paper.
From 2002-2003 I studied for the new MSc in Cosmology at the University of Sussex. Around half of my work that year was spent on my project, Braneworld Inflation, supervised by Andrew Liddle. If you want to know more, see this paper (or here). Cosmology is the study of the Universe, so the MSc made me a master of the universe. In fact, I reckon (but am just about willing to be corrected) that I was the first person anywhere to have a masters degree entitled ‘cosmology’. This therefore made me indisputably the master of the universe for a year, as I’d wanted to be since I was very small.
Prior to starting the MSc, I was at Jesus College, Cambridge, where I gained a BA in mathematics.
Papers
Posters
A census of K-band galaxies from the UKIDSS Large Area Survey (RAS Young Astronomers Meeting, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, 7 Dec 2007) PDF | PDF (B&W) | JPEG | Summary PDF
Specialist conference/workshop talks
Initial results from HerMES: the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (RAS National Astronomers Meeting, Glasgow University, 13 Apr 2010). Presenting results from Herschel workshop in Madrid, December 2009.
K-band galaxy luminosity and surface brightness distribution from the LAS (Science from UKIDSS, ESO, Garching, 19 Dec 2007) PDF of Powerpoint slides
Popular/non-specialist talks
12 Jun 2022: Journey through the Universe
SPY: St Paul’s Youth, Spennymoor
4 Oct 2020: ‘When I consider your heavens…’
St Barnabas, Middlesbrough (via Zoom)
14 Mar 2020: Journey through the Universe
SHED Talk, The Potting Shed, Northallerton (part of the ‘Come and See’ Northern Bishops’ Mission to the Diocese of York)
9 Mar 2020: Journey through the Universe
St Paul’s Mothers’ Union, Spennymoor
23 Apr 2012: Astronomy through a Christian telescope
West Yorkshire School of Christian Studies (WYSOCS), Leeds
12 Mar 2011: Once upon a time in reality: how to read a scientific story (with Eline van Asperen) PDF | MP3
“Knowing In God’s World”, Christian Academic Network, Nottingham
13 Nov 2010: Journey through the Universe
Calvary International Cafe, Calvary Evangelical Church, Brighton, UK
12 Jun 2010: Surveying the Universe with the Herschel Space Observatory
Men’s breakfast, Hurstpierpoint Evangelical Church
21 Nov 2009: Journey through the Universe
Calvary International Cafe, Calvary Evangelical Church, Brighton, UK
7 Nov 2009: The Herschel Space Observatory
Men’s breakfast, Calvary Evangelical Church, Brighton, UK
4 Nov 2009: The Herschel Space Observatory
Lewes Astronomers
23 Jun 2007: Surveying the Universe
Annual National Conference for Christian Postgraduates and Postdoctoral Researchers, Dovedale, Derbyshire, UK
20 May 2006: A taste of astronomy
Calvary International Cafe, Calvary Evangelical Church, Brighton, UK
Teaching
Astronomical Detector Technology and Instrumentation - Spring 2009, 2010, 2011