Prof. Mark Swinbank

I am an extra-galactic astronomer in the Institute for Computational Cosmology at the University of Durham. My research interests include the formation and evolution of galaxies, galaxy clusters, large scale structure and galaxies in interaction. I exploit multi-wavelength data to explore the properties of high-redshift galaxies to explore the processes which shaped galaxies in the local Universe. I also use strong gravitational lensing (the deflection of light by massive foreground galaxy clusters) to boost the sizes and brightnesses of images of distant, young galaxies to resolve structures and dynamics on scales which would otherwise be impossible with current technology. My research interests also include obscured star-forming galaxies -- selected at sub-mm and radio wavebands. These galaxies are seen in the sub-mm as the UV/optical starlight from young, massive stars is absorbed by dust and re-radiated in the far-infrared waveband. Sub-mm galaxies are a major population in the early Universe, contributing around 30% of the energy density at redshift (z)~2; (ie. seen 10 billion years ago) and represent the formation epoch of todays massive luminous elliptical galaxies.