Dr Matt Nicholl
Reader
Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics
Dr Nicholl's expertise encompasses cosmic explosions and other energetic events associated with massive stars, neutron stars and black holes.
Dr Nicholl uses observations from telescopes around the world and in space to study supernovae; the disruptions of stars close to supermassive black holes; and the collisions between dead stars that cause gravitational waves. He is interested in explaining the most energetic and rarest events that may tell us something new about how stars and black holes evolve and about the physical processes that lead to extremely bright explosions and outbursts.
Fields
Astronomy AstrophysicsAreas of Expertise
Supernova, black hole, kilonova, gamma-ray burst, tidal disruption event, transient, galaxy
Media Experience
Dr Nicholl has participated in TV interviews on UTV and BBC Midlands as well as appearing on the BBC 1's The Sky At Night.
He has also been interviewed many times as an expert on local and national radio, both live and pre-recorded, and BBC World Service.
Notable coverage
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/17/science/astronomy-black-hole-at1910qix.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000kxjy
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/black-hole-destroys-star-goes-after-another-nasa-missions-find/
Video
Associated Research Centres / Projects
https://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/astrophysics-research-centre/
Contact Information
For more information or to book an interview, email comms.office@qub.ac.uk
Academic Profile