Paul Crowther is a professor of astrophysics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, where he has been based since 2003. He received his PhD in astronomy from University College London in 1993, where he also spent 5 years as a Postdoc and held a Royal Society University Research Fellowship for a further 5 years. He is currently Director for Learning and Teaching in the Department and delivers a number of astronomy courses to undergraduates including stellar atmospheres, stellar evolution and the interstellar medium.
Paul’s primary research interests involve massive stars in the Milky Way and other galaxies, especially Wolf-Rayet stars, although he has also worked on supernovae, starburst galaxies and Planetary Nebulae. He contributes to the YouTube channel Deep Sky Videos which is (mostly) devoted to the Messier Catalogue and is co-funded by Sheffield and Nottingham. He has also co-produced Sounds of the Cosmos, which involves a live performance of Holst’s Planets Suite by the Sheffield Rep Orchestra interspersed with a narrated overview of astronomy, plus original visuals created by a local graphic design agency. This premiered at the University’s Festival of the Mind in Sept 2014, and has been recommissioned for Sheffield Doc/Fest in June 2015 and Latitude festival on 18 July.
Paul’s usual twitter account is @Paul_Crowther
astrotweeps 