Professor Mike Garrett obtained a first-class honours degree at the University of Glasgow (1986), and went on to do a PhD at the University of Manchester (1990). He held post-doctoral positions at the MPIfR Bonn, and Jodrell Bank Observatory (1990-1994). In 1996, he moved to the Netherlands, taking up a senior position at the Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE) in Dwingeloo, later becoming Director of JIVE in 2003. In 2007, he took up the position of General & Scientific Director of ASTRON – the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy. In September 2016, Mike was appointed as the inaugural Sir Bernard Lovell Chair of Astrophysics.

Garrett’s scientific interests are diverse – ranging from studies of compact cosmic objects in our own galaxy, to investigations of high-redshift systems in the early Universe. Garrett has a significant interest in SETI (Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence) research, and has recently published research on methods of revealing the presence of advanced civilisations via their waste energy output.

Talk: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence