Michael Garrett

Michael Garrett is the Sir Bernard Lovell Chair of Astrophysics at the University of Manchester and Director of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics (JBCA), a group of 190 people based at the Alan Turing Building and Jodrell Bank Observatory. He also serves as a Special Professor at the University of Leiden and holds multiple leadership positions in international astronomical organizations including the SETI Institute Science Advisory Board and Breakthrough Listen Advisory Board.

Garrett's research spans multiple areas of astronomy with particular focus on radio astronomy techniques and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. His work integrates observations from major facilities including ALMA, LOFAR, and the e-MERLIN array. As Director of JBCA, he oversees the UK's radio astronomy National Facility and leads research on galaxy evolution, active galactic nuclei, and the distant universe using high-resolution radio observations.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward interdisciplinary research combining traditional astrophysics with SETI investigations, particularly through the analysis of potential technosignatures and Dyson sphere candidates. Garrett has increasingly focused on the intersection of artificial intelligence and SETI, exploring whether AI might represent a 'great filter' for advanced civilizations.

• Fellow of the Royal Society (2024)
• Elected to International Academy of Astronautics (2018)
• Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (2017)
• Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society (2015)
• Rudolph Pesek Lecture, International Academy of Astronautics Congress (2014)
• IBM Faculty Award, Leiden University (2013)
• Elected to International Academy of Astronautics (corresponding member, 2012)

Garrett has supervised numerous students and postdoctoral researchers throughout his career. As a major research leader, he has coordinated significant European projects including FP6 EXPReS (4.5M€), RadioNet FP7 (15M€), and H2020 ASTERICS (15M€). He serves on multiple peer review committees including the UKRI STFC Projects Peer Review Committee and advises numerous international organizations on radio astronomy strategy.

Garrett directs the RAAIR laboratory (a collaboration between the University of Manchester and CETC-38 in China) and leads the Jodrell Bank Telescope Masterplan. He chairs the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics Directorate and serves on the European SKA Forum, playing a key role in shaping the future of radio astronomy infrastructure in Europe and globally.