Dr. Nic Scott
My research focuses on the evolution of nearby galaxies through the use of spatially-resolved integral field spectroscopy. The combination of spatial and spectral information from a single observation is extremely powerful, and I exploit such data to understand the processes that have produced nearby galaxies as we see them today.
My research at Swinburne focuses on the nuclei of nearby galaxies and the massive objects that are found there - supermassive black holes and nuclear star clusters. Through imaging and spatially-resolved spectroscopy I measure the properties of these central massive objects and study how they evolve with their host galaxies over cosmic time. Central massive objects are thought to play a key role in governing the star formation of their host galaxies, and so an understanding of their formation and growth is a key component in unlocking the mechanisms of galaxy evolution.
Outside Swinburne I am involved in several current and upcoming integral field spectroscopy surveys of nearby early-type galaxies. Through the SAURON and ATLAS3D surveys I study the 'archaeology' of nearby early-type galaxies, which represent the end-point of many billions of years of cosmic evolution. Through the detailed study of the spatially resolved properties of these galaxies I attempt to understand the cosmic histories of these objects and determine what controls or influences their evolution.
| Phone | +61 3 9214 5165 | |
| Fax | +61 3 9214 8797 | |
| Office | AR313 |