The Advanced Grant awarded to Professor Jarvis will enable him to investigate the physics of galaxy formation and evolution using the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa, alongside the wealth of multi-wavelength data that is available over the same patches of sky. Specifically, he will use these data to understand the role of neutral hydrogen gas in the evolution of galaxies, and how the large-scale environment affects how galaxies form and evolve over the history of the Universe.
Professor Jarvis said, “It’s a relief and honour to receive this award and at just the right time to be able to fully exploit the amazing data that is coming out of the MeerKAT telescope, to really push our knowledge of the role of neutral hydrogen in galaxy evolution. I can’t wait to recruit to the positions that are funded through the grant and get the research underway.”
Professor Sam Howison, Head of MPLS Division, said, “I'm delighted that Matt Jarvis has secured this international recognition from the ERC, in an extraordinarily competitive field, and I look forward to following the progress of his project.”
ERC Advanced Grants are highly competitive, with only 14% of applications being successful this year. Successful applicants have been identified as Principal Investigators who are ‘exceptional leaders’ in terms of the originality and significance of their research contributions, with a track-record of significant research achievements in the last 10 years.
Professor Jarvis joins Professor Stephen Blundell (Physics), Professor Ben Sheldon (Biology) and Professor Stuart White (Mathematical Institute) who received ERC Advanced Grants in April, along with Professor Aditi Lahiri from the Humanities Division.