Speaker profile
Mr Gary Newport
BA(QTS), MSc, FRAS, MInstP
Available for booking
Summary
Astrophysicist and educator exploring stellar evolution and the origins of the elements.
Full biography
Gary is an astrophysicist, computer scientist, and educator based on the south coast of the United Kingdom. He combines active research in stellar evolution with a long-standing career in teaching, public outreach, and educational leadership.
His research focuses on the physics of stars — their formation from collapsing molecular clouds, their internal structure and energy generation, and their eventual evolution into white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes. He works extensively with computational stellar evolution models, modernising and analysing legacy code to explore how stars grow, shine, and ultimately enrich the universe with the elements essential for planets and life.
Alongside his research, Gary is a specialist in computer science education. He teaches and develops curriculum in programming, data representation, algorithms, and computational thinking, and has contributed to assessment and examination work at national level. His dual background in astrophysics and computing allows him to present astronomy not only as a story of wonder, but as a discipline built on mathematics, physics, and simulation.
Gary is deeply committed to public engagement. He regularly delivers talks on topics including:
• The birth, life and death of stars
• Where the elements of the periodic table come from
• The Big Bang and the early universe
• Black holes and compact objects
• Observational astronomy and modern digital telescopes
His talks combine research-level accuracy with clarity and accessibility. Drawing on imagery from NASA and ESA missions, as well as observations captured through digital telescopes at his own institution, he brings both the theoretical and observational sides of astronomy together. Audiences are guided from nebulae and protostars through stellar fusion and nucleosynthesis, and onward to supernovae and cosmic evolution.
Gary has organised and led astronomy evenings, telescope sessions, and public lecture series, creating opportunities for students and local communities to engage directly with the night sky. His style is clear, energetic, and intellectually rigorous, aimed at leaving audiences not just inspired, but better informed.
At the heart of his work is a simple aim: to help people understand that the story of the universe is not abstract or distant — it is the story of how everything, including us, came to be.
Stargazing sessions
Mr Gary Newport can host stargazing sessions including guided tours of the night skies and observing using telescopes or binoculars.
