Jean Brodie

Dr. Jean Brodie is a Distinguished Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), and Director of the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University. Her research focuses on galaxy formation and evolution, utilizing globular star clusters as tracers of cosmic history. She holds dual affiliations with Swinburne University (Australia) and UCSC (USA).

Educational Background:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Physics (First Class Honours) from Imperial College, University of London
• PhD in Astronomy from Cambridge University
• Postdoctoral Fellowships: Harkness Fellowship at UC Berkeley and Chambers Research Fellowship at Girton College, Cambridge

Research Interests:

Her work integrates observational data and simulations to explore the formation of galaxies and their subcomponents. Key areas include:

• Role of globular clusters in tracing galactic evolution
• Dark matter content in ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs)
• Star formation histories and stellar population dynamics
• Galaxy interactions and environmental effects

Grants & Collaborations:

Lead investigator on major grants such as:

• "Into the Darkness: Measuring Dark Galaxies" (ARC, 2025–2028)
• "ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs" (2023–2030)
• "Ultra Diffuse Galaxies: Challenging Galaxy Formation Paradigms" (2022–2026)

Labs & Teams:

Founder of the SAGES research group (Study of Astrophysics of Globular Clusters in Extragalactic Systems), a large international collaboration analyzing UDGs and their globular cluster systems.