Associate Professor Edward Taylor

Biography

As an observational astronomer specialising in galaxy formation and evolution, I work primarily on census-class surveys of hundreds of thousands of galaxies, with the broad goal of shedding light on the astrophysical processes that drive and regulate the formation and evolution of galaxies over cosmic time.  My first research focus is in empirical studies of 'galaxy demographics': that is, detailed statistical descriptions of the distributions of properties (e.g. mass, size, age, growth rate) across the general galaxy population. This includes addressing fundamental questions like: "How many galaxies exist in the present day universe?"; "How does the number of galaxies in the universe grow over time?"; "How are galaxies’ sizes (or shapes, colours, ages, or growth rates) correlated with their masses?"; "What are the similarites and differences between galaxies found in dense clusters, or smaller groups, or relative isolation?". One question that I am particularly interested in is: "When and why do the most massive galaxies stop forming new stars?" Another major research focus of mine is in pioneering new techniques for precision measurements of the dark matter that surrounds galaxies, and using those new techniques to shed light on the role that the dark matter plays in shaping and influencing the evolution of galaxies.