Speaker profile
Dr Mark Norris
BSc(Hons), PhD
Available for booking
Preston, Lancashire, England
Will travel anywhere in the UK
Academic Lecturer
Summary
Mark is a Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics whose research focuses on the formation and evolution of galaxies. He also runs the Alston Observatory, one of the best equipped in the UK.
Full biography
PhD in Astrophysics, University of Durham 2008 MSci Physics, University of Durham 2004
I run the Alston Observatory, one of the best equipped in the UK with a modern Planewave CDK700 and a Planewave DeltaRho 350 allowing us to obtain very wide field, and very deep imaging.
My particular research focus is on the formation and evolution of galaxies. With a particular focus on how compact stellar systems such as globular clusters, ultra compact dwarfs and compact ellipticals form, and what they can tell us about the galaxy formation process in general.
Lecture Topics:
I give talks on all aspects of astrophysics, but some of my most popular include:
Our Cosmic Origins - A guide to the incredible astrophysical phenomena responsible for creating the chemical elements of the human body.
Cosmological Conundrums - A talk about the confusing apparent paradoxes that arise because we live in an expanding Universe.
Extrasolar Planets & Extraterrestrial Life - A talk about how we find planets outside the solar system, and how over the coming decades we will try to determine if those planets host extraterrestrial life.
Stargazing sessions
Dr Mark Norris can host stargazing sessions including guided tours of the night skies and observing using telescopes or binoculars.
Affiliations
Lectures
Our Cosmic Origins
A tour of the astrophysical sites (e.g. dying stars, supernovae, merging neutron stars) responsible for forming the chemical elements of the human body.
Cosmological Conundrums
An exploration of all of the strange ways in which an expanding space breaks our usual understanding of Physics.
The Search for Exoplanets & Extraterrestrial Life
A description of how exoplanets are found, and how we are now beginning to search for signs of life in other star systems.
Hunting the Ghosts of Galaxies
This talk is about my own research into how Early-Type galaxies are formed, and the growing realization that the most massive galaxies actually acquired most of their stars during mergers.
