Timothy John O'Brien (born 31 March 1964) is a British astronomer, currently working at the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

as Professor of

Astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

. He often appears on the BBC.

Early life and education

He was born in

Littleborough, Greater Manchester Littleborough ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, in the upper Roch Valley by the foothills of the South Pennines, northeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester; Milnrow and the M62 motorwa ...

. He grew up in

Castleton, Greater Manchester Castleton is an area of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, south-southwest of Rochdale town centre and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Historically a part of Lancashire, Castleton's early history is marked by its status as a tow ...

in the

Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after its largest town, Rochdale, The borough covers other outlying towns and villages with a population of 206,500 at the ...

. He attended school in

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

. He studied Physics and Astrophysics at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

and completed his PhD at the University of Manchester between 1985 and 1988.

Career and research

He taught at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

in the 1990s. He began working at the University of Manchester in 1999 where he is currently associate director of the

Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics The Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, is among the largest astrophysics groups in the UK. It includes the Jodrell Bank Observatory, the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, and the Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre. The ...

. He is also Director of Teaching & Learning in the University's School of Physics & Astronomy. From 2009–2015, he taught the first year undergraduate course in Astrophysics. His research is primarily in the area of

nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

e (thermonuclear explosions on white dwarf stars in binary star systems) and includes both theoretical work and observations using telescopes around the world and in space working across the electromagnetic spectrum.

Broadcasting

He has appeared on ''

Stargazing Live ''Stargazing Live'' is a British live television programme on astronomy that was broadcast yearly on BBC Two over three nights every winter from 2011 to 2017. The series was primarily presented by scientist Brian Cox and comedian and amateur a ...

'' on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

and ''

The Infinite Monkey Cage ''The Infinite Monkey Cage'' is a BBC Radio 4 comedy and popular science series. Hosted by physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince, ''The Independent'' described it as a "witty and irreverent look at the world according to science". The sho ...

'' on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

Personal life

O'Brien is married to Professor

Teresa Anderson Teresa Mary Anderson (born 1962) is a British physicist and the director of the University of Manchester's Discovery Centre at Jodrell Bank Observatory. She is a professor at the University of Manchester and the curator of science at the Blued ...

(born 1 December 1962).Wife
/ref> He lived for a time in

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

and currently lives in south Manchester. He has a younger sister (born 1965) and a younger brother (born 1967).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Timothy John 1964 births Academics of the University of Liverpool Academics of the University of Manchester Alumni of the University of Manchester Alumni of University College London British astrophysicists British people of Irish descent 21st-century British astronomers English physicists Jodrell Bank Observatory People from Littleborough, Greater Manchester Science communicators Living people