Our Team
This page showcases the postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, Honours students, and vacation scholarship students I supervise and have supervised at Swinburne's Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing. Our research field moves forward due to the amazing efforts of everyone listed here. I have supervised 3 postdoctoral researchers, graduated 3 PhDs as primary supervisor, 7 PhDs as associate supervisor, mentored vacation scholarship students, and will supervise Honours students. If you would like to join our team, please get in touch!
Current PhD Students
I currently have 3 active PhD students, with 1 additional student arriving late 2026, as primary supervisor and 2 as associate supervisor (both with A/Prof. Deanne Fisher as primary).
Primary Supervision
Antonia Fernández-Figueroa
Understanding How Circumgalactic Gas Drives Galaxy Evolution
PhD Candidate · 2022 – present
Swinburne University of Technology
Kaustubh Rajesh Gupta
Using Gravitational Lenses to Map the Diffuse Gas Around Galaxies
PhD Candidate · 2025 – present
Swinburne University of Technology
Sarbeswar Das
Fuelling Galaxy Evolution: Unravelling How Galaxies Process Their Gas
PhD Candidate · 2026 – present
Swinburne University of Technology
Upcoming
Co-Supervision (Associate Supervisor)
| Name | Thesis Project | Since | Primary Supervisor | Institution | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magdalena Hamel-Bravo | Enrichment of the Baryon Cycle in Star Forming Galaxies | 2022 | D. Fisher | Swinburne University of Technology | LinkedInCASADS |
| Edoardo Santo | Imaging the Baryon Cycle of Galaxies | 2026 | D. Fisher | Swinburne University of Technology | LinkedInORCIDADS |
PhD Alumni
All completed students have gone on to successful careers. The quality of my supervision has been acknowledged by the FSET Excellence in Research Supervision Award, Honourable Mention (2018).
Primary Supervision
Dr Rebecca Allen
A Comprehensive View of Galaxy Evolution: Using Galaxy Sizes to Examine Growth Rates and Environmental Effects
Completed: March 2017
Major Discipline Coordinator, Space Technology, Co-Director of the Space Technology & Industry Institute, Swinburne University
🏆 Director's Outstanding Achievement Award (2016) & Young Tall Poppy Science Award (2021)
Co-Supervision (Associate Supervisor)
| Name | Thesis Title | Completed | Primary Supervisor | Current Position | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Daniel McPherson | Identifying and Characterizing Outflows in Metal-Poor Starbursting Galaxies | 2024 | D. Fisher (Swinburne) |
Graduate Meteorologist, Bureau of Meteorology | LinkedInADS |
| Dr Bronwyn Reichardt Chu | Outflows and the Circumgalactic Medium in Extremely Gas Rich, Turbulent Disk Galaxies | 2023 | D. Fisher (Swinburne) |
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Durham University, UK | WebsiteDurhamLinkedInADS |
| Dr Daniel Berke | Solar Twin Stars as a New Probe for Variations in the Fine-Structure Constant | 2022 | M. Murphy (Swinburne) |
Lecturer, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo | LinkedInORCIDGitHubADS |
| Dr Paul Frédéric Robert | Near Pristine Gas in the Early Universe | 2020 | M. Murphy (Swinburne) |
Data analyst, Amazon | LinkedInADS |
| Dr Themiya Nanayakkara | MOSFIRE Spectroscopy of Galaxies at Cosmic Noon | 2017 | K. Glazebrook (Swinburne) |
Senior Lecturer at University of Sydney | WebsiteADS LinkedIn |
| Dr Elisa Boera | The Thermal State of the Intergalactic Medium 9–12 Billion Years Ago | 2015 | M. Murphy (Swinburne) |
Senior Data Analyst at Environment Protection Authority Victoria Australia | ResearchGateADS |
| Dr Tyler Evans | Robust Constraints on Varying Fundamental Constants from QSO Absorption Systems | 2014 | M. Murphy (Swinburne) |
Manager, Cards Fraud Analytics, ANZ | LinkedInADS |
Honours Students
Honours students undertake a year-long research project as part of their undergraduate degree. Please contact me if you are interesting on joining our team!
Primary Supervision
Jerrard Doran
Circumgalactic Medium Research (project TBC)
Honours Student · 2027
Swinburne University of Technology
🏆 Former CAS Vacation Scholar (2025–2026); 2nd author on a submitted paper
Vacation Scholarship Students
The short-tem winter and summer Vacation Scholarship program is a great way to gain research experence. Notably, two students from this program — Dr Rebecca Allen and Dr Mason Ng — went on to complete PhDs.
| Name | Type | Year(s) | Project / Notes | Outcome / Current Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerrard Doran | Winter Vacation Scholarship | 2025–2026 | CGM research, CAS/DPA program Selected both 2025 and 2026 rounds; 2nd author on a submitted paper |
Promising Honours/PhD candidate
|
| Julian Riddell | Summer Vacation Scholarship | 2025 | CGM / galaxy evolution research, CAS program | Started PhD, The University of New South Wales |
| James Farrington | Winter Vacation Scholarship | 2024 | CGM research, CAS/DPA program BSc Physics Swinburne (advanced minor astrophysics); 3rd author on a submitted paper |
Promising Honours/PhD candidate
|
| Dr Mason Ng | Summer Undergraduate Research | 2017–2018 | Galaxy/CGM research project at Swinburne CAS |
FRQNT Postdoctoral Fellow, McGill Department of Physics and Trottier Space Institute at McGill ⭐ Progressed to PhD at MIT (2024) ⭐ Wrote a first author paper at Swinburne |
| Dr Rebecca Allen | Summer Undergraduate Research | 2012 | Galaxy evolution research at Swinburne CAS |
Completed PhD with G. Kacprzak (2017); now Director, Space Technology & Industry Institute, Swinburne ⭐ Progressed to PhD |
Postdoctoral Researchers
I have had the fortunate opportunity to work with three excellent postdocs.
Former Postdocs
