What Atoms tell us about Galaxies.
Guest Speaker
Thursday, 22nd November 2018 (19:45 - 22:00)
Venue: swmcmeet
The elements in the world around us are created almost exclusively by stars and this creation process is intertwined with the larger scale growth of galaxies in the Universe. Galactic archaeology is the process of understanding how galaxies formed using clues hidden in the elemental composition of stars. I will explain the origins of the elements and exactly how we can use them to learn about the long-lost history of galaxies.
Speaker: Dr. C. Gareth Few
My Bio: I am an astrophysicist working at the University of Hull where I use computer simulations to model the formation and evolution of spiral galaxies. My research interests include the processes which shape galaxies, how different chemical elements are distributed within them, and the various processes that determine where stars form. To do this I use some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, without which these sophisticated hydrodynamics models would be impossible. I am currently the Milne Research Fellow in the University of Hull’s astrophysics group, prior to which I was a postdoc at the University of Exeter. I first discovered my love of computational methods in astrophysics during my undergraduate studies toward a MSc (Hons) in Physics with Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Nottingham. After that I moved on to the University of Central Lancashire, where in 2013 I was awarded my PhD on the topic of Chemodynamical Adaptive Mesh Refinement Simulations of Galaxies.
In addition to probing the universe I also enjoy various nerdy hobbies, chair the Hull branch of the British Science Association and Beverley’s Cafe Scientifique.