Alan Duffy

Alan Duffy is an astrophysicist at Swinburne University of Technology. He uses powerful supercomputers to uncover the nature of dark matter and the key physical laws that govern the formation of galaxies. He also studies the early Universe during the Epoch of Reionisation - a time when the First Galaxies lit up the Universe. He collaborates with scientists at the University of Melbourne, the University of Western Australia, the Leiden Observatory in The Netherlands and Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, in the UK where he received his PhD in astrophysics in 2009. Alan has published peer-reviewed articles in top international journals on topics as diverse as cosmology (covering Dark Matter and Dark Energy), simulating galaxy formation, upcoming telescopes (such as SKA and FAST). He also speaks at universities and conferences around the world. In addition he is a passionate science communicator, presenting in a national tour for BBC Worldwide's The Science of Doctor Who, explaining astronomy as a regular on ABC's Breakfast News as well as visiting regional and remote communities discussing and promoting astrophysics in schools. Alan was also Lead Scientist of The Royal Institution of Australia from 2017 to 2021.