Rene Breton

Rene Breton is a Professor of Astrophysics at The University of Manchester, leading research in neutron stars, pulsars, transients, and binary systems. He also applies remote sensing techniques to agricultural challenges, such as tracking invasive species like Parthenium in Pakistan using satellite data. His academic roles include Deputy Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and former Head of Research. Breton holds significant grants, including the ERC Starting Grant and Marie Curie Fellowship, and has supervised 19 students.

• Education: PhD in Astrophysics from McGill University (2009), BSc in Physics from Université Laval (2003).
• Key Positions: Professor at The University of Manchester (2020–present), Reader (2017–2020), Lecturer (2014–2017).
• Research Group: Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics Pulsars and Time Domain Astrophysics Group.

His research explores fundamental physics via extreme astrophysical environments, including probing neutron star matter and gravity theories. Notable projects include the GOTO telescope array for transient detection and the TRAPUM pulsar survey with MeerKAT. He actively engages in public outreach, including collaborations with citizen science platforms like Kilonova Seekers.

Recent Work: Focus on fast radio bursts, supernova progenitors, and gravitational wave follow-up. Recent publications include discoveries of hyperactive FRBs and insights into helium-interaction-driven supernovae.

• Awards: FP7 Marie Curie Fellowship (2014), H2020 ERC Starting Grant (2017).
• Teaching: Co-leads the Introduction to Data Science course for physics undergraduates.
• Labs/Teams: GOTO collaboration, BlackGEM telescope array, and MeerKAT TRAPUM project.