Peter Curran (astronomer) facts for kids

Peter A. Curran (born July 27, 1977 – died February 18, 2016) was an Irish astronomer. He was known for his important work studying powerful explosions in space called gamma-ray bursts and mysterious objects known as stellar black holes. He also has an award named after him.

Early Life and Education

Peter Curran was born and grew up in Cork, Ireland. He loved science from a young age.

He studied physics at University College Cork, earning his first degree in 1999. In 2002, he earned a master's degree in astronomy. For his master's project, he studied very bright X-ray sources in our galaxy using special infrared observations.

A Career in Space Science

From 1999 to 2004, Peter taught physics at the Cork Institute of Technology in Ireland.

Researching Gamma-Ray Bursts

Peter then moved to the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. There, he focused his research on gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). These are the most powerful explosions in the universe. He earned his PhD in 2008 for his work on GRBs.

After his PhD, he continued his research on GRBs. He worked at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London. He also worked as a visiting researcher at the University of Leicester.

Moving to Australia

In 2012, Peter joined the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) at Curtin University in Australia. He continued his research into how matter falls into black holes and other massive objects, a process called accretion physics.

In 2015, he received a special Senior Curtin University Fellowship. This award recognized his excellent work in the field of accretion physics.

Supporting STEM and Equality

Peter was also a leader at ICRAR. He helped start a committee focused on developing and supporting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and making sure everyone had equal chances. Thanks to his work, ICRAR received the first Australian Bronze Pleiades award in 2014. This award recognizes efforts to improve gender equality in astronomy.

Peter Curran passed away in 2016.

Peter Curran's Legacy

Peter Curran's contributions to astronomy are remembered through special awards:

• The Curtin University started the Peter Curran Memorial Fellowship for Radio Astronomy Research in 2016. This fellowship helps new researchers study radio astronomy.
• The Astronomical Science Group of Ireland created the annual Peter Curran Award. This award is given to the best post-graduate student who presents their work at the Irish National Astronomy Meeting (INAM). It was first given out in September 2016.]