Bryan M Gaensler

Bryan M Gaensler is the Dean of the Science Division at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), and holds a professorship in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics. His career includes roles as Harvard University’s associate professor, Canada Research Chair at the University of Toronto, and director of the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics. He specializes in cosmic magnetism, time-domain astrophysics, and interstellar gas dynamics.

Education: Undergraduate/graduate degrees from The University of Sydney and CSIRO’s Australia Telescope National Facility. Postdoctoral work at MIT and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

Research focuses on the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe's Magnetism (POSSUM), using ASKAP to study magnetic fields via Faraday rotation. He also studies Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) as part of the CHIME/FRB team. His work bridges instrumentation (e.g., SKA prototypes) and theoretical astrophysics.

Key awards include Australian Laureate Fellow, ARC Federation Fellow, and Scopus Young Researcher Award. He has authored over 80 publications and co-edited works on cosmic magnetism and astrophysics strategy.

Labs/Teams: Leads the B-Force team, POSSUM collaboration, and CHIME/FRB group. Advocates for equity in science and public outreach through books like Extreme Cosmos and media engagements.