Emeritus Professor Brian Boyle

Professor Brian Boyle PSM FAA joined UNSW in July 2015. Professor Brian Boyle has published over 150 referred research papers in astronomy. His research interests include cosmology, quasars and astronomical instrumentation. He graduated with a BSc (Hons) from the University of Edinburgh in 1982 and obtained his PhD from the University of Durham in 1986. He was Director of Australia’s premier optical telescope, the Anglo-Australian telescope from 1996-2003 and Australia’s radio telescopes, CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility from 2003-2009. From 2009-2015, working with the Australian Government’s Department of Industry and Science, he successfully led Australia’s bid to co-host the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, the world’s largest radio telescope. Professor Boyle also led the establishment of the Murchison Radioastronomy Observatory in Western Australia (Australia’s site for the SKA telescope) and initiated the construction $188m Australian SKA Telescope at this site. Professor Boyle was elected to the Australian Academy of Science in 2006. He also shared in the 2009 Gruber Prize for Cosmology and 2015 Breakthrough Award in Fundamental Physics as a member of the Supernova Cosmology Project team for the discovery that the expansion of the Universe was accelerating. Professor Boyle was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2003 for services to astronomy and the Public Service Medal in the 2013 Australia Day Honours for his leadership of the Australian SKA project.