About
I am a Research Associate in Galactic Archaeology at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy in the University of Sydney. I am also a Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales.
I am a native speaker of English but I am also conversationally fluent in Japanese - I did my PhD (published in English) at the Univeristy of Hokkaido in Sapporo, Japan.
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| The University of Hokkaido museum building in winter, | Walking up stairs in Kyoto on my |
| covered in snow. | graduation trip. |
Astronomy Research
I like to research barred-spiral galaxies and how these beautiful structures impact the conditions within them - everything from star formation rates, stellar motion & kinematics, chemical mixing, gas streaming and outflows, to the large- and small-scale structure of inter-stellar medium (ISM).
I personally develop N-body numerical simulations specifically tailored to nearby (resolved) galaxies. You can find examples and details in the GOANNA Simulations Project. You can also find out about my peer-reviewed publications here.
I am a member of the GALAH (galactic archaeology) and GASKAP (HI and OH lines in the Milky Way and Magellanic Systems) collaboration teams, as well as co-chair of the Theory Working Group in the GECKOS (observations of edge-on galaxies) collaboration.
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| Mock composite observation-like images produced from two simulations (IsoB - left, TideB - right). |
| IsoB is barred-spiral galaxy formed in isolation, while similar structure in TideB has been triggered |
| by interaction with a dwarf galaxy-like companion. |
Outreach
I am regularly invloved in science outreach activities, such as public talks, telescope tours and school visits. I am also available for mentoring on scientific research projects at all levels - I hold a valid Working with Children check in NSW and have previously mentored student projects from Yr 9-University levels.
I believe it is important to inspire people of all genders, ages and socio-economic background to study science if it interests them!
Feel free to send an email via the Contact address if you are interested in any of these outreach opportunities, so that I may assist you in your goal to engage with science (or at least put you in touch with an organisation who can).
Science Education & Pedagogy
I am interested in understanding the way people ‘learn’ to do science. I don’t believe this is an innate skill and, therefore, must be able to be developed. How can we (as scientists) facilitate others to develop these skills?
I have been developing curriculum resources to help undergraduate students engage with the cognitive aspect of doing science since 2022.
If you are interesed in hearing my experience or wish to discuss curriculum and/or cognitive development, please reach out via the Contact address below. I also have peer-reviewed publications in this area listed here.
Contact
Please feel free to contact me via the following email (removing all spaces and using the appropriate special character).
e-mail: elizabeth . iles [at] sydney . edu . au