Dr. Lyra Walsh

Biography

Lyra Walsh studied physics as an undergraduate at Curtin University in Perth before pursuing her PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University in Canberra. Her research focused on near-field cosmology, specifically in the detection of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way, culminating in the discovery of Bootes II, the faintest known galaxy at the time. Following her PhD, she took on the role of Magellan Fellow at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, where she utilized twin 6.5m Magellan Telescopes in her research. After a brief departure from astronomy into prostate cancer research, she returned to the field, contributing to projects at the 8.4m Gemini South Telescope. She completed her Master’s degree in Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, and pursued an additional Master’s in Space Systems at Florida Institute of Technology. Currently, Lyra is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia and is actively engaged with the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) to enhance Australia’s ground-to-space optical communication capabilities. Throughout her career, she has been involved in various projects and collaborations contributing to advancements in optical communications and astronomical surveys.

Research Interests

Experience