Dr Michael Cowley
Faculty of Science,
School of Chemistry & Physics
Biography
Michael Cowley is an astrophysicist and lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology and an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Southern Queensland. Michael holds a PhD from Macquarie University, where he researched the evolutionary impact of supermassive black holes on their host galaxies. He continues this line of work with collaborators from ASKAP-EMU, ZFOURGE and ZFIRE, which are extragalactic surveys using a range of ground and space-based telescopes to study the physical processes related to the formation and evolution of galaxies. Michael also has a keen interest in education and outreach, having delivered numerous educational seminars, professional development courses for teachers, and public talks on various STEM topics.Personal details
Positions
- Lecturer
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
QUT Teaching History
2021
- PVB210 Stellar Astrophysics - Lecturer and Unit Coordinator
- PVB220 Cosmology - Lecturer and Unit Coordinator
- PVB112 Physics of the Very Small - Lecturer and Unit Coordinator
- SEB104 Grand Challenges in Science (Space Exploration) - Lecturer
- STB100 Research Skills and Techniques - Lecturer
- PVB304 Physics Research - Lecturer
2020
- PVB210 Stellar Astrophysics - Lecturer and Unit Coordinator
- PVB220 Cosmology - Lecturer and Unit Coordinator
- SEB104 Grand Challenges in Science (Space Exploration) - Lecturer
- PVB304 Physics Research - Lecturer
2019
- PVB220 Cosmology - Lecturer and Unit Coordinator
- PVB304 Physics Research - Lecture
2013
- PQB460 Astrophysics 1 - Demonstrator
- PQB660 Astrophysics 2 - Lecturer
- PCB150 Biomedical Physics - Demonstrator
- ENB130 Mechanical and Thermal Energy - Demonstrator
External Teaching History:
- Astronomical Techniques (USQ)
- Observational Astronomy (USQ)
- Planetary Science (USQ)
- Optics (USQ)
- Introductory Astronomy (MQ)
- Advanced Astronomy (MQ)
- Science: Today and Tomorrow (MQ)
Selected publications
- Straatman C, Kacprzak G, Nanayakkara T, Labbé I, Papovich C, Cowley M, Gupta A, Tran K, Cohn J, Alcorn L, Yuan T, Rodriguez-gomez V, Harshan A, Forrest B, Kewley L, Glazebrook K, (2020) MOSEL Survey: Tracking the Growth of Massive Galaxies at 2 < z <4 Using Kinematics and the IllustrisTNG Simulation, Astrophysical Journal, 893 (1).
- 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).
- 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), pp. 1-14.
- 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), pp. 3710-3716.
- 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), pp. 1-9.
- Hughes S, Cowley M, (2017) Teaching the Doppler effect in astrophysics, European Journal of Physics, 38 (2), pp. 1-7.
- 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, pp. 1-28.
- 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), pp. 1-34.
- 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), pp. 629-641.
- Cowley M, Hughes S, (2014) Characterization of transiting exoplanets by way of differential photometry, Physics Education, 49 (3), pp. 293-298.
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Michael, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Faculty of Science's Educator of the Year
- Type
- Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Scientific Organising Committee for the Australian Institute of Physics Summer Meeting, Brisbane, AU
- 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
- 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 Institute of Physics (MInstP)
- Type
- Membership of Learned Societies
- Reference year
- 2010
- Details
- Member of the Australian Institute of Physics (MAIP)
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 - The Cosmic Star Formation History Measured from the Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU)
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Nunzio Motta