Looking up at the night sky and contemplating the billions of stars in our own galaxy, physicist Enrico Fermi famously posed a curious and sometimes frightening question, "Where is everybody?" This talk asks: are we alone in our solar system? In our galaxy? In the entire universe? Come and explore where we might look for life as we know it, how we look at worlds beyond our own solar system, and what the chances are of actually finding someone else out there.

BIO

Matthew Agnew is currently completing his PhD at Swinburne University of Technology where his interest in planets, habitability and life in the Universe has guided the focus of his research. Using Swinburne’s powerful supercomputer, he runs simulations of known planetary systems to determine where a habitable planet like Earth could exist. This provides a guide for planet hunters on the best places to look in the search for Earth 2.0. Beyond his research, Matthew is a passionate educator and scientific communicator, and has an intense interest in space exploration.

Dr. Elodie Thilliez obtained a PhD degree in Astronomy from Swinburne University where she was studying the gravitational interaction of exoplanets and asteroid belts. She now works as a Data Scientist at the Deakin Software and Technology Innovation Lab and applies advanced machine learning techniques to model a wide variety of problems.

6:00 PM @LOOP Project Space & Bar, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne VIC 3000

Entrance over 18  |  The venue is wheelchair accessible.