Marek kukula biography sample

Marek Kukula

Visions of the Universe & Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Science, beauty and public engagement at the Royal Observatory Greenwich

Abstract

The Royal Observatory Greenwich is one of London’s leading tourist attractions and an internationally recognised centre of excellence for public engagement with astronomy.

This was followed by a PPARCAdvancedFellowship held at the University of Edinburgh.

His researchinterestsincludeactivegalacticnuclei and the ways in whichlargegalaxies and theircentralsupermassiveblackholes have changed and evolvedthroughoutcosmological time. He subsequentlyworked as a postdoctoralresearchassistant at Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Astronomy and the SpaceTelescopeScienceInstitute in Baltimore.

SinceAugust 2008 he has held the post of PublicAstronomer at the RoyalObservatoryGreenwichwhere his role is to engage the UKpublic and media with all aspects of astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology and planetary science.

He graduated in Physics with Astrophysics from the University of Manchester in 1990 and in 1994 was awarded a PhD in RadioAstronomy from the same university with a thesis on The RadioProperties of Seyfert Nuclei, based on researchcarried out at Jodrell Bank Observatory.

As the Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich he works alongside a team of astronomy education and outreach specialists to engage with the general public, schools and the media. This research has involved the use of a variety of telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Very Large Array, MERLIN, the William Herschel Telescope, and the Very Large Telescope.

In November 2012 he had stated on Twitter that he is of Polish descent through his father.

Who is Marek Kukula?

Marek Kukula is a British astronomer.

This was followed by a PPARC Advanced Fellowship held at the University of Edinburgh.

His research interests include active galactic nuclei (particularly Seyfert galaxy, Radio galaxy and quasars) and the ways in which large galaxies and their central supermassive black holes have changed and evolved throughout cosmological time.

These projects give equal weight to the artistic and scientific aspects of astronomical images and have proved to be invaluable new tools for public engagement, both by giving a fresh perspective to traditional astronomy audiences and by reaching out to new audiences who would not normally attend a science-related event.

He subsequently worked as a postdoctoral research assistant at Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Astronomy (based at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh) and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. Since August 2008 he has held the post of Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich where his role is to engage the UK public and media with all aspects of astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology and planetary science.

He graduated in Physics with Astrophysics from the University of Manchester in 1990 and in 1994 was awarded a PhD in Radio Astronomy from the same university with a thesis on The Radio Properties of Seyfert Nuclei, based on research carried out at Jodrell Bank Observatory.

This talk will describe our experiences and explore how they have had a powerful impact on the Observatory’s public engagement strategy.

Biography

Marek Kukula obtained his PhD in Radio Astronomy from Jodrell Bank Observatory then carried out research into galaxy evolution at a number of institutions including the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of the Hubble Space Telescope, and the University of Edinburgh.

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As a museum of the history of astronomy, navigation and timekeeping, as well as a modern science centre and planetarium, the ROG welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors to its galleries each year and reaches millions more through its online and media activities.

Two prominent examples of this approach are the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, now in its seventh year, and the ‘blockbuster’ exhibition Visions of the Universe, which is currently touring and has reached over 80,000 people.