Dr Michael Cowley
Faculty of Science,
School of Chemistry & Physics
Biography
Michael is QUT's Astrophysics Teaching and Research Associate, responsible for coordinating the university's Astrophysics Minor and Astrophysics Research Group. Michael completed his PhD at Macquarie University and the Australian Astronomical Observatory, where he researched the evolutionary impact of supermassive black holes on their host galaxies. He continues this work with collaborators on ASKAP-EMU, TAIPAN, ZFOURGE and ZFIRE, which are extragalactic surveys tasked with studying the physical processes related to the formation and evolution of galaxies. Michael also has a keen interest in teaching and outreach, having prepared and delivered numerous educational seminars, professional development courses, and public talks. Michael is also a lecturer and Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Southern Queensland, a science liaison for CSIRO's Scientists in Schools program, and a steering committee member for the ASA's Education and Public Outreach Chapter.
Personal details
Positions
- Astrophysics Research and Teaching Associate
Faculty of Science,
School of Chemistry & Physics
Keywords
Cosmology, Extragalactic Astrophysics, Physics and Astronomy Education, Lighting Physics
Discipline
Astronomical and Space Sciences
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- PhD (Macquarie University)
- BAppSc(Hons) (Queensland University of Technology)
- BAppSc(Physics) (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
Professional Societies
- Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA)
- International Astronomical Union (IAU)
- Astronomical Association of Queensland (AAQ)
- Institute of Physics (IOP)
- Australian Institute of Physics (AIP)
Astronomical Surveys
- ASKAP-EMU (radio galaxy survey)
- TAIPAN (optical and near-IR spectroscopic galaxy survey)
- ZFOURGE (medium-band imaging galaxy survey)
- ZFIRE (optical and near-IR spectroscopic galaxy survey)
Teaching
Unit Coordinator/Lecturer:
- PVB210 Stellar Astrophysics (2020, 2021)
- PVB220 Cosmology (2019, 2020, 2021)
- PVB112 Physics of the Very Small (2020)
Lecturer:
- PVB304 Physics Research (2020)
- SEB104 Grand Challenges in Science: Space Exploration (2020, 2021)
Teaching Experience:
- Astronomical Techniques (USQ)
- Observational Astronomy (USQ)
- Planetary Science (USQ)
- Optics (USQ)
- Introductory Astronomy (MQ)
- Advanced Astronomy (MQ)
- Science: Today and Tomorrow (MQ)
Publications
- Gupta A, Tran K, Cohn J, Alcorn L, Yuan T, Rodriguez-gomez V, Harshan A, Forrest B, Kewley L, Glazebrook K, Straatman C, Kacprzak G, Nanayakkara T, Labbé I, Papovich C, Cowley M, (2020) MOSEL Survey: Tracking the Growth of Massive Galaxies at 2 < z <4 Using Kinematics and the IllustrisTNG Simulation, Astrophysical Journal, 893 (1) p1
- Tran K, Forrest B, Alcorn L, Yuan T, Nanayakkara T, Cohn J, Cowley M, Glazebrook K, Gupta A, Kacprzak G, Kewley L, Labbé I, Papovich C, Spitler L, Straatman C, Tomczak A, (2020) MOSEL: Strong [OIII] 5007 A Emitting Galaxies at (3 < z < 4) from the ZFOURGE Survey, The Astrophysical Journal, 898 (1) p
- Nanayakkara T, Brinchmann J, Glazebrook K, Bouwens R, Kewley L, Tran K, Cowley M, Fisher D, Kacprzak G, Labbe I, Straatman C, (2020) Reconstructing the Observed Ionizing Photon Production Efficiency at z ~ 2 Using Stellar Population Models, Astrophysical Journal, 889 (2) p1
- Cowley M, Spitler L, Quadri R, Goulding A, Papovich C, Tran K, Labbe I, Alcorn L, Allen R, Forrest B, Glazebrook K, Kacprzak G, Morrison G, Nanayakkara T, Straatman C, Tomczak A, (2018) Decoupled black hole accretion and quenching: the relationship between BHAR, SFR and quenching in Milky Way- and Andromeda-mass progenitors since z = 2.5, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 473 (3) p3710
- Cowley M, Hughes S, (2017) Modelling the dynamics of a hypothetical Planet X by way of gravitational N-body simulator, European Journal of Physics, 38 (2) p1
- Hughes S, Cowley M, (2017) Teaching the Doppler effect in astrophysics, European Journal of Physics, 38 (2) p1
- da Cunha E, Hopkins A, Colless M, Taylor E, Blake C, Howlett C, Magoulas C, Lucey J, Lagos C, Kuehn K, Cowley M, other a, (2017) The Taipan galaxy survey: Scientific goals and observing strategy, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 34 () p1
- Straatman C, Spitler L, Quadri R, Labbe I, Glazebrook K, Persson S, Papovich C, Tran K, Brammer G, Cowley M, Tomczak A, Nanayakkara T, Alcorn L, Allen R, Broussard A, van Dokkum P, Forrest B, van Houdt J, Kacprzak G, Kawinwanichakij L, other a, (2016) The FourStar galaxy evolution survey (ZFOURGE): ultraviolet to far-infrared catalogs, medium-bandwidth photometric redshifts with improved accuracy, stellar masses, and confirmation of quiescent galaxies to z ~ 3.5, Astrophysical Journal, 830 (1) p1
- Cowley M, Spitler L, Tran K, Rees G, Labbe I, Allen R, Brammer G, Glazebrook K, Hopkins A, Juneau S, Kacprzak G, Mullaney J, Nanayakkara T, Papovich C, Quadri R, Straatman C, Tomczak A, van Dokkum P, (2016) ZFOURGE catalogue of AGN candidates: an enhancement of 160-um-derived star formation rates in active galaxies to z = 3.2, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 457 (1) p629
- Cowley M, Hughes S, (2014) Characterization of transiting exoplanets by way of differential photometry, Physics Education, 49 (3) p293
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Michael, explore their research on ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Keynote Speaker/Expert Panel Member/Invited Speaker for a Conference
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- Invited Speaker for the AAQ's 2020 Arthur Page Memorial Lecture
- Type
- Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- Local Organising Committee for the Australia-ESO Conference, Sydney, AU
- Type
- Keynote Speaker/Expert Panel Member/Invited Speaker for a Conference
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- Invited Speaker for TEDxQUT: 2019 Innovate Activate, Motivate
- Type
- Membership of Learned Societies
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- Member of the International Astronomical Union (MIAU)
- Type
- Reviewer for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- Referee for the American Institute of Physics' The Physics Teacher
- Type
- Reviewer for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Institute of Physics' European Journal of Physics
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- Research Centre for Astronomy, Astrophysics and Astrophotonics (MQAAAstro) Observing Funding Award
- Type
- Membership of Learned Societies
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Member of the Astronomical Society of Australia (MASA)
- Type
- Membership of Learned Societies
- Reference year
- 2010
- Details
- Member of the Australian Institute of Physics (MAIP)
- Type
- Membership of Learned Societies
- Reference year
- 2010
- Details
- Member of the Institute of Physics (MInstP)
Supervision
Current supervisions
- The role of environment in the evolution and fate of galaxies
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Nunzio Motta - Characterising distant galaxies by way of spectral energy distribution analysis
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Nunzio Motta