Carolin Crawford is the Public Astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge. She received her PhD from Cambridge University, and for many years she used X-ray, optical, and near-infrared observations to investigate both the environments of some of the largest galaxies in the Universe. Her research was carried out alongside — and later eclipsed by — a growing role in the public communication of science. Carolin now gives many talks every year communicating the excitement of astronomy to as wide an audience as possible; she also makes regular appearances on local and national radio. Her efforts were recognized by a Woman of Outstanding Achievement award from the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology for “communication of SET with a contribution to society” in 2009, and her appointment as the Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College 2011– 2015. Carolin is also a College Lecturer, Fellow, and Admissions Tutor at Emmanuel College where she teaches mathematics.
Astronomers anticipate a revolution in our knowledge of the cosmos over the next decade. A new generation of ground-based and space telescopes are due to come online which – along with technological advances in detectors and instruments – will reveal new discovery space. Even though we have opened up most of the electromagnetic spectrum to observation, the advance of gravitational wave detection and ‘time domain’ astronomy will change our way of observing. Join Carolin as she reviews some of the prospects for the next ten years – and in particular, the really big science questions that they will allow us to tackle.