Biography: Dr.
Martin A. Hendry
I currently hold the post of Senior Lecturer in Astronomy, in
the Department of Physics and Astronomy
of the University of Glasgow. I am
a member of the Astronomy and Astrophysics
research group, led by Prof. John Brown (Astronomer Royal for Scotland).
I head a small research team working in cosmology,
which is the branch of astrophysics concerned with the large-scale properties
of the Universe as a whole: its origin, evolution and eventual fate.
I took up my present appointment at Glasgow University
in October 1998, having previously held research positions at Glasgow (1996-1998)
and at Sussex University (1991-1996),
following the completion of my PhD, also at Glasgow.
Research
Activities
My main research interests are:-
Precise determination of the size and age of
the Universe, from (among other methods) Hubble
Space
Telescope observations 
of
stars in distant galaxies. These observations
confirm that the Universe is expanding - in agreement with the predictions
of the standard 'Big Bang' theory. Moreover, by accurately measuring the
rate
of expansion we can determine whether the Universe will continue to expand
forever, 
or
will eventually re-collapse in a 'Big Crunch'. Most evidence currently
points towards the former fate - indeed the Universe appears to be accelerating,
which means that on very large scales the expansion is being driven by
the vacuum energy of space itself! This startling conclusion poses a number
of puzzles for astronomers and particle physicists, including questions
about the 'fine tuning' of the Universe.
Testing theories for the formation and evolution of galaxies.
The pattern of galaxies and clusters which we observe
today was assembled by gravity, causing tiny ripples
in the density of the very early Universe to grow over billions of years.
We can measure the pattern, or spectrum, of these primordial
density variations very precisely, and this determines the ingredients
which make up the 'recipe' for galaxy formation.
Although the list of ingredients 
is
becoming well understood, the details of the recipe (e.g the amount of
ingredients and cooking time) remains an unsolved problem for cosmologists,
and one of the biggest puzzles is understanding where and how much dark
matter there is in the Universe - in addition to the luminous matter we
see as stars and galaxies. We can obtain some valuable clues about the
dark matter, however, by careful analysis of the clustering and motion
of galaxies.
Exploring new applications of gravitational
lensing. 
Einstein's
general relativity correctly predicted that light from a distant star 
would
be deflected by a tiny amount as it passed close to intervening matter.
This phenomenon - known as gravitational lensing
- has recently become a powerful technique for detecting dark matter in
the halo of our galaxy. Our work explores the use of lensing to probe the
atmospheres of stars and 'image' their surfaces
- revealing e.g. star 'spots' - with further application to detecting
extra-solar planets.
Public
Outreach Activities
I am very active in promoting a greater public awareness
and understanding of astronomy, and science in general, throughout the
wider community. My public outreach activities are:-
-
With Prof Brown I lead Glasgow University's programme of
schools' visits with our Starlab inflatable
planetarium, giving shows to several thousand children each year.
-
I give several public lecture courses on astronomy and cosmology
on behalf of the Department of Adult and Continuing Education at Glasgow
University, and have also led a number of DACE observing weekends in dark
sky locations.
-
I lecture regularly to amateur astronomy groups and literary
and cultural societies throughout Scotland. I also lecture regularly at
Science Festivals across the UK and beyond, and have given popular talks
in venues as far flung as Morocco, Mexico, Slovenia and Australia.
-
I lead a project, initially funded by the UK national
astronomy research council and entitled "Reach
for the Stars", to develop a series of multimedia lectures on astronomy
and astrophysics for high school children - with titles ranging from "Echoes
of the Big Bang" to "Death of the Dinosaurs". For more details click
here.
