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“As a kid, my parents read me a book called ‘My Place in Space’ which quickly became my favourite.”
- Dr. Danny Price, Senior Research Fellow
From Atoms to Galaxies
Dr Danny Price, who studies the cosmos through building and upgrading radio telescopes, was captivated by the heavens at a young age. Growing up in Western Australia, Danny had an amazing view of the stars, and his passion for astronomy was evident even in primary school. In high school, faced with the tough choice between being a guitarist or pursuing astronomy, Danny decided on the latter.
After completing a science degree at University of Western Australia, Danny was drawn to further study by the Square Kilometre Array – an international radio telescope project that will be built in Western Australia – and enrolled in a PhD at the University of Oxford to contribute to the project. After some time abroad at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Danny returned to Australia, where he is a Senior Research Fellow at the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy.
One challenge Danny faces is keeping up-to-date among the many endeavours he’s involved with, and not signing up to too many more. Although having chosen stars over stardom for a career many years ago, Danny still plays guitar in his spare time, though recently his one-year-old son has been keeping him busy as well.
Danny is passionate about understanding the universe and hopes to continue uncovering all of its amazing secrets.
“I want to know if we are alone in the Universe, or if there is life out there somewhere. When we look up at the stars, is there anyone looking back? I want to keep trying to answer this question, even if it takes a lifetime.”
“I came to Perth from another hemisphere.”
- Tina Yan, PhD candidate
Our Body
Tina Yan studied her Bachelors and Masters degrees at Harbin Medical University, China. Her interest in epidemiology, microbes, and food science drew her to a PhD scholarship opportunity at Edith Cowan University. In her PhD, Tina is investigating the impacts of a high-fibre diet in managing Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Additionally, she is studying the effects of this intervention on the gut microbiome – the all-important bacterial community that reside in the human intestine – sleep quality, and mental health.
In her spare time, Tina loves dancing, riding her biking, and swimming. She also enjoys something most of us dread… grocery shopping!
“It’s interesting to me to look at the ingredients when I’m buying groceries, knowing what I know about food and health.”
Tina enjoys the scientific and intellectual challenges that come with a PhD. One less common challenge she faces is language; English is not her first language. Despite this, Tina continues to make headway in exploring novel treatments for IBS. Although she acknowledges that data is important, she is most delighted by the positive feedback she receives from IBS patients who are benefiting from the treatment.