Professor Ben Maughan

Biography

I am professor of physics, and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion lead for the School of Physics. I did my degree at Cardiff University, and then my PhD at the University of Birmingham. After that I was a NASA Chandra Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, before returning to the UK to become a lecturer at the University of Bristol.

Research interests

I study clusters of galaxies using different observational techniques. These are huge cosmic structures consisting of hundreds or thousands of galaxies that are embedded in a hot X-ray emitting plasma, and bound together by the gravitational force of the invisible dark matter that is their major component.

I am interested in using X-ray observations to measure the properties of the plasma in these clusters, both to improve the methods we have to measure the masses of clusters (which allows us to study cosmology), and also to investigate the feedback loops that connect the plasma atmosphere of clusters to the member galaxies and the supermassive black holes residing in them.

Current researchers and PhD students

Former researchers and PhD students at Bristol

• Zoe Altria (PhD, 2025)
• Cai Wood (PhD, 2023. Now a RA following a year teaching)
• Cale Baguley (PhD, 2023. Now a RA in Biological Sciences at UoB)
• Gus Wallbank (MScR, 2021. Data Scientist at Twenty First Group)
• Crispin Logan (PhD, 2020. ESA fellow and then data scientist at Sony Playstation)
• Siwei Zou (MScR, 2015. Research Professor, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Science)
• Nina Van Der Pyl (MScR, 2013. circus artist & contortionist)
• Paul Giles (PhD, 2012. RA at University of Bristol and now and RA at University of Sussex, both in astrophysics)
• Ben Kitchener (MScR, 2012. Senior Data Scientist at Charlotte Tilbury Beauty)
• Lars Koens (MScR, 2011. Senior Lecturer Nottingham School of Art and Design)
• Mohamed Ali (MScR, 2009. Director, Real Estate Strategic Insights and Research at Nuveen)