Michael Merrifield

I was Professor of Astronomy at the University of Nottingham, combining research on the evolution of galaxies with a wide array of outreach work. I am now an emeritus professor there.

I am a founding contributor to the Sixty Symbols YouTube channel, whose videos have now been watched more than 70 million times, and for which I was a recipient of the Institute of Physics’ Kelvin Medal.

I appear from time to time on BBC Radio Nottingham to give an update on what’s going on in astronomy, as well as giving frequent talks at schools, societies, and as an invited speaker at events like the International Astronomy Show.

Building on a long-held interest on the interplay between science, art and commerce, I founded a company, Crystal Nebulae, which sells glass sculptures of astronomical objects.

Scientifically, I have co-authored more than 190 refereed publications, which have been cited 14,000 times, resulting in an h-number of 55. 27 publications have been cited more than 100 times. I also wrote the reference text “Galactic Astronomy” with James Binney, which has sold more than 10,000 copies, and has been cited more than 1000 times.