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

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

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, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

. 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 motorw ...

. 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 t ...

in the

Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. Its largest town is Rochdale and the wider borough covers other outlying towns and villages, including Heywood, Greater Manchester, Heywood, Littleb ...

. He attended school in

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...

., attending St Joseph’s RC Middle School from 1975 to 1977, and Bishop Henshaw RC Memorial High School, now

St Cuthbert's RC High School St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School is a coeducational secondary school located in the Thornham area of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. History St Cuthbert's was founded as Bishop Henshaw School in 1968 and was Rochdale's first ...

, from 1977 to 1982. He studied Physics and Astrophysics at

Queen Mary College Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and formerly Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of London. Today, ...

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

Career and research

He taught at the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

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 (JBCA) 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. ...

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

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

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 ...

'' on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

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". Since 2 ...

'' on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

Personal life

O'Brien is married to Professor Teresa Anderson (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, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...

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 British science communicators Living people