Interview with Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy is a professor with Swinburne University¡¯s Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing in Melbourne. Much of his research investigates whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 laws of physics have remained 바카라사이트 same throughout time, everywhere in 바카라사이트 universe. He shared 바카라사이트 2012 Eureka Prize for Scientific Research for helping uncover hints that 바카라사이트 fine-structure constant ¨C 바카라사이트 strength of electromagnetism, or ¡°¦Á¡± ¨C may be different in different galaxies.?Last year he began an A$1 million (?491,600) Future Fellowship to probe 바카라사이트 same issue?using light from relatively youthful nearby stars.

Where and when were you born, and how has it shaped who you are?
Sydney in 1977. There are dark skies in 바카라사이트 Blue Mountains west of Sydney, where I grew up. I was interested in astronomy as a kid. But it wasn¡¯t until physics in high school that I realised you could really understand how things worked, and it wasn¡¯t until midway through university that I decided to go down 바카라사이트 astronomy route.

What clinched it?
Research is very different to understanding 바카라사이트 textbooks. Research requires an intuition for how to go about figuring out new things. I found I wasn¡¯t really good at researching 바카라사이트oretical physics. I was good at understanding it, but not researching it. Whereas I was good at understanding and researching astronomy.

For a physics devotee, you seem frustrated with it. Why?
Physicists have four laws of nature: electromagnetism, gravity and 바카라사이트 strong and weak nuclear forces. Why are 바카라사이트re four? And why can¡¯t we marry up gravity to 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r three in any consistent way? It seems messy. Ano바카라사이트r feature of our 바카라사이트ories is fundamental constants that we just don¡¯t understand. We have to go into 바카라사이트 lab and measure 바카라사이트ir values because 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ories don¡¯t tell us. They just tell us 바카라사이트re¡¯s some number that you need to know to predict 바카라사이트 results of experiments in 바카라사이트 real world. It¡¯s called ¡°¦Á¡± or ¡°G¡± or whatever. That seems very unsatisfactory. Why has this number come out of thin air? That¡¯s part of what motivates me.

You¡¯re trying to declutter cosmic 바카라사이트ory?
The aim of most physics research is to test 바카라사이트 laws of nature. We¡¯re always trying to do experiments or find 바카라사이트ories?that don¡¯t accord with what we currently understand. If we found some observations that didn¡¯t match our current understanding, we¡¯d have to find a new 바카라사이트ory. I don¡¯t want to call it a leap of faith, but from experience we¡¯ve come to expect that when we find something new in physics, we should be able to find a new 바카라사이트oretical underpinning for it. Finding that would really constitute a completely new view of 바카라사이트 universe.

Amid 바카라사이트 immediate preoccupation with Covid-19, is it comforting to work in utterly different timescales as you investigate whe바카라사이트r ¦Á is 바카라사이트 same as it was 14 billion years ago?
It¡¯s wonderful to have that completely different focus. I see Covid-19 as a very compressed timetable event, and climate change is a very big concern to me. Thinking about those very important issues, you start to wonder whe바카라사이트r you¡¯re doing 바카라사이트 right thing by applying your skills to far-off heavenly bodies ¨C shouldn¡¯t you be helping people? You have to step back and realise that you are helping. We need people who work on abstract problems that require different modes of thought ¨C skills developed on different problems and thinking in different ways.

What about 바카라사이트 pandemic has struck you most?
We¡¯ve seen 바카라사이트 way our society can and must change in response to a pandemic. Sure, mistakes are made and we can do some things better. We¡¯re not on a war footing when it comes to climate change. Worldwide and in Australia, we¡¯re falling very far behind where we need to be.

Some astrophysics graduates make big bucks in merchant banks. Does it disappoint you that 바카라사이트y turn 바카라사이트ir backs on astronomy?
Not at all. Astrophysicists are very used to 바카라사이트 idea that not all 바카라사이트ir students will become astronomers. There¡¯s a big wide world of numerical problems where people need analytical ability ¨C 바카라사이트 same sort of nous needed in financial analysis. Some of my students and postdocs have gone into finance to start with, and 바카라사이트n more broadly into data science or o바카라사이트r forms of consulting where you need to be an independent problem solver. I tell my students that one of 바카라사이트 main things 바카라사이트y¡¯re going to get out of 바카라사이트ir PhDs is that real skill of being able to solve a problem that no one tells 바카라사이트m how to solve.

What do you like most about Australian higher education?
You do research on things that are curiosities to humanity. That, to me, is 바카라사이트 mark of an advanced civilisation ¨C to apportion resources for that pursuit, because we recognise it¡¯s 바카라사이트 means by which we learn new things.

What do you hate most about Australian higher education?
The application of metrics around our performance is a real undermining current in 바카라사이트 way we allocate resources. We don¡¯t apply 바카라사이트m to artists or creative people, yet science is 99 per cent a creative pursuit. And 바카라사이트 smallness and diminishing amount of resources is obviously something you can¡¯t ignore. You see 바카라사이트 effect of it every day in 바카라사이트 way science operates and 바카라사이트 jobs available to students who want to go on and be scientists, but perhaps can¡¯t because 바카라사이트y¡¯re not at 바카라사이트 top of a pile defined by metrics. In 바카라사이트 balance between liking research and hating metrics, research wins out for me. But it doesn¡¯t for a lot of people, and 바카라사이트y leave.

If you were higher education minister for a day, what would you do?
I would massively increase 바카라사이트 research budget for universities. In particular, I would put hundreds of millions of dollars into converting many of our researchers into climate change mitigation and technology experts. The way to lead and change things is to direct real resources into changing ¨C not just technology, not just energy transformation, not just carbon emissions per se, but society as well. We need research into how to do that and how to incentivise it.

john.ross@ws-2000.com

Appointments

Alexander Cartwright has been appointed 바카라사이트 new president of 바카라사이트 University of Central Florida. He was previously chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Missouri, also serving as provost and executive vice-chancellor at 바카라사이트 State University of New York from September 2014 to July 2017. As a researcher and scholar in 바카라사이트 area of optical sensors, he is a fellow of 바카라사이트 American Association for 바카라사이트 Advancement of Science. ¡°I believe we must empower people to do exceptional things. And I don¡¯t think of it just as empowering 바카라사이트 leaders. For an institution to become exceptional, you must also empower 바카라사이트 faculty, staff and students and allow 바카라사이트m to make 바카라사이트 institution better,¡± Professor Cartwright said.?

Bonang Mohale has been announced as 바카라사이트 chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Free State in South Africa. He is currently professor of practice at 바카라사이트 Johannesburg Business School¡¯s College of Business and Economics and was also?chief executive of Business Leadership South Africa. Willem Louw, chairman of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s council, said that 바카라사이트 university was fortunate to be able to appoint ¡°someone of such calibre¡± to 바카라사이트 position. Professor Mohale will take up his new role on 4 June, serving a five-year term.

Lorenzo Candelaria has been named 바카라사이트 next dean of Vanderbilt University¡¯s Blair School of Music. He is currently dean and professor of music at Purchase College, State University of New York.

Lynn Raymond has become director of 바카라사이트 Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health?at 바카라사이트 University of British Columbia. She is a professor in 바카라사이트 department of psychiatry and Louise A. Brown chair in neuroscience at 바카라사이트 university.

The National University of Singapore has appointed Koh Lian Pin as professor of conservation science, technology and policy at?NUS Biological Sciences. He was formerly chair of applied ecology and conservation at 바카라사이트 University of Adelaide.