Simon Ellingsen

Professor Simon Ellingsen is a Professor of Physics and Adjunct Senior Researcher at the University of Tasmania, leading the School of Natural Sciences as Dean since 2019. His work spans radio astronomy, VLBI, and interstellar masers, focusing on high-mass star formation and Galactic structure. He has pioneered space domain awareness via UTas radio telescopes.

• PhD, University of Tasmania (1996)
• BSc (1st Class Hons), University of Tasmania (1991)

Research centers on using interstellar masers to study high-mass star formation, Galactic spiral structure, and fundamental constant variability. His ATLASGAL and CORNISH-South surveys map 3 mm methanol masers and infrared-radio cross-correlations. Current projects include space infrastructure upgrades and cosmological tests via methanol transitions.

His 15 most recent publications highlight VLBI astrometry, maser variability, and Galactic bar dynamics, with keywords spanning astrophysics, radio interferometry, and extragalactic masers.

• Awards: Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (2009), Engineering Excellence Award (2003), Research Excellence Award (2002)
• Grants: $10M+ total funding, including $1.2M from Australian Space Agency for satellite tracking infrastructure

As a PhD supervisor, he has guided 17 students in astrometry, space domain awareness, and maser studies. He leads the Southern Hemisphere Parallax Interferometric Radio Legacy Survey (SPIRALS) and collaborates globally with institutions in Germany, China, and USA.