Ryan Shannon

Ryan Shannon is a Professor in the School of Science, Computing and Emerging Technologies at Swinburne University of Technology, and leads the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing. He serves as Chief Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav). His research focuses on extreme astrophysical objects like neutron stars, fast radio bursts, and black holes, leveraging cutting-edge radio telescopes such as MeerKAT and ASKAP.

Education: B.Sc. (Hon.) from University of British Columbia, M.S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. Prior roles include researcher positions at CSIRO and Curtin University.

Research Interests:

• Gravitational wave detection via pulsar timing arrays
• Mechanisms of fast radio bursts and long-period radio transients
• Interstellar medium dynamics through pulsar scintillation studies

Recent work includes optimizing MeerKAT observations for gravitational wave detection and discovering X-ray counterparts to radio transients, advancing our understanding of magnetars and white dwarf systems.

Notable Awards:

• 2024 Jackson-Gwilt Medal (Royal Astronomical Society)
• 2021 Newcomb Cleveland Prize
• 2018 Swinburne Vice Chancellor's Research Excellence Award

Grants/Leadership:

• Leading ARC grants totaling $M+ since 2018
• Co-leads Commensal Real-time Fast Transients Collaboration
• Chair of International Pulsar Timing Array Steering Committee (2018)

Labs/Teams: Core member of OzGrav and MeerTime Project teams, actively collaborating internationally on radio astronomy infrastructure.