🚀 Paul O’Brien is a Professor and Head of Astrophysics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester. In AHEAD2020, he is the lead for work package 6 (Data Analysis TNA). His research interests are in explosive transients – mainly gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and tidal disruption events (TDEs). He also worksI have stayed in astronomy via a complicated path involving three institutes, working on multiple space projects and carrying out research. I began working on active galaxies in the UV during my PhD, but these days mainly work on X-ray and optical studies of GRBs. I’m also heavily involved in trying to build new space facilities for transient science. on facilities which discover and characterise transients, including Swift, SVOM and GOTO.

How do you describe your journey in astronomy so far?

📣 I have stayed in astronomy via a complicated path involving three institutes, working on multiple space projects and carrying out research. I began working on active galaxies in the ultra-violet (UV) during my PhD, but these days mainly work on X-ray and optical studies of GRBs. I’m also heavily involved in trying to build new space facilities for transient science.

Why did you choose to study astrophysics?

📣 I took a degree in astronomy purely out of curiosity, with no understanding of what an astronomer actually does. I’m still not sure I could answer that question! Astronomy is a very unpredictable subject, with long-term objectives, so you have to be flexible.

Do you have a favorite scientific theory?

📣 The discovery of the first electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave source. This involved many facilities and teams, and is a good example of modern astronomy where you usually need to combine the talents of many people and make use of facilities which were not all designed for that task.

Why is AHEAD2020 important to you?

📣 It allows us to advance many topics simultaneously, with the common theme of high-energy astrophysics. It is difficult to get funding for such a diverse yet related set of activities, so this sort of scheme is ideal.

#AHEAD2020 is a consortium aimed at integrating and opening research infrastructures across Europe for High Energy Astrophysics, Multi-Messenger Astronomy and also Gravitational Waves. Discover more about AHEAD2020 and the Hot and Energetic Universe by watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbT4o3-FRII&ab_channel=AHEAD2020