An EconoTimes perspective

David Coward

Associate professor, University of Western Australia

Associate professor, University of Western Australia My main research area is the study of exotic transient phenomena in the Universe. Of these, gamma ray bursts are my main focus. These events result from the biggest explosions in the Universe, and possibly mark the birth of a black-hole. My recent work is a collaboration with astronomers in France to understand these exotic transients, using the UWA robotic Zadko Telescope and similar instruments in France and Chile. Another research focus is observing transients simultaneously across different spectra, including gravitational waves. This involves networking optical telescopes with other types of observatories to gain new insight into the first seconds of a transient.