Robert Crain

Professor Robert Crain is a leading theoretical astrophysicist at Liverpool John Moores University's Astrophysics Research Institute (ARI), where he serves as Head of Research and academic lead of the university's central high performance computing facility Prospero. He previously chaired the DiRAC astronomy & cosmology panel and maintains an active role in the university's research committee as a member of its technology advisory group.

Crain's research focuses on galaxy formation and the dynamic co-evolution of galaxies with their gaseous environments, primarily using large-scale hydrodynamical simulations. He is a builder of the influential EAGLE and E-MOSAICS simulation projects and has made significant contributions to understanding the formation and evolution of globular cluster populations. His work increasingly incorporates artificial intelligence and machine learning methods for analyzing complex astronomical datasets, including collaborations with Aspia Space to transfer methods from astrophysics to earth observation data analysis.

His publication record shows consistent high-impact contributions to the field, with recent work focusing on hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy populations, the circumgalactic medium, globular cluster formation, and the application of machine learning techniques. His research has generated numerous influential papers, including the highly cited EAGLE project papers and recent comprehensive reviews on hydrodynamical simulations.

• Royal Astronomical Society Group Award (2022)
• Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2021, 2023)
• THE awards - Research Project of the Year (runner-up, 2016)
• Vice Chancellor's award for excellence in research (2016)
• Educate North - Research Project of the Year (2016)

Professor Crain has successfully supervised numerous PhD students and secured substantial research funding from organizations including STFC, Royal Society, and NASA. His current research projects include 'Bringing together star formation and galaxy formation calculations to interpret the stellar populations of galaxies' and 'Cosmological simulations of galaxies incorporating the formation and self-consistent dynamical evolution of globular clusters.' He is actively involved with the E-MOSAICS team and the LIV.INNO Centre for Doctoral Training for Innovation in Data Intensive Science.