ANU to lead Australian exploration of the Universe

The Australian National University (ANU) will lead Australia's next wave of research into the Universe and the formation of the basic elements, using new 3-D technology to explore the Universe, after winning a $30 million Centre of Excellence from the Australian Research Council (ARC). The new ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (CAASTRO 3D) will be led from the ANU Mount Stromlo facilities in Canberra and will ensure Australian astronomers, astrophysicists and engineers will play a central role in the exploration of the Universe over the next decade. Led by Professor Lisa Kewley from the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the new centre will use new 3-D technology to help unlock the secrets of the early universe and the development of elements that make up the periodic table. "We will be investigating how the Universe formed its first matter in the dark moments after the Big Bang, how the first stars and galaxies formed and evolved into galaxies like our Milky Way, and how the stars created the chemical elements in the Universe," said Professor Kewley, an ARC Laureate Fellow. ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt AC congratulated Professor Kewley on the new Centre of Excellence. "The new CAASTRO 3D Centre of Excellence is a magnificent achievement and underlines the strength of top-class research at ANU, particularly our Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics," Professor Schmidt said.