Prof. Tamara Davis | Unveiling the Cosmos: Dark Matter & Dark Energy

• What is dark energy? What about dark matter? What are their roles in the universe?
• Where are we in the quest to unify quantum physics and general relativity? What about in the search for extraterrestrial life?
• What are the conditions on other planets and what are the learnings from them that we can apply to ours? What are the best things we can do to look after our planet?

Who is Prof. Tamara Davis?

Prof. Tamara Davis, PhD is an astrophysicist who studies the elusive "dark energy" that's accelerating the universe. She completed her PhD in 2004 at the University of New South Wales on theoretical cosmology and black holes, then worked on supernova cosmology in two postdoctoral fellowships, the first at the Australian National University (collaborating with Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) and the second at the University of Copenhagen.

In 2008, she moved to Queensland to join the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey team working on mapping the galaxies in the Universe. She led the Dark Theme within the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics, is now leading the OzDES survey — working with the international Dark Energy Survey, and working with working with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument project. As of 2024, she is Deputy Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery.

What did Prof. Tamara & Jodi discuss?

00:00 Welcome to the Smarter Not Harder Podcast
01:10 Guest Introduction: Professor Tamara Davis
03:23 Journey into Cosmology
06:24 Understanding Dark Energy and the Expanding Universe
14:14 The Role of Dark Matter in the Universe
27:20 The Quest for Unifying Quantum Physics and General Relativity
27:56 Challenges in Scientific Funding and Theoretical Breakthroughs
29:55 Exploring the Grand Unification Theory (GUT)
33:12 The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and the Fermi Paradox
37:42 Women in Science and Climate Advocacy
46:25 The Importance of Basic Science and Astrophysics
49:34 Final Thoughts and Life Advice

Find more from Prof. Tamara Davis:

Website: https://people.smp.uq.edu.au/TamaraDavis/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tamarastro/

Twitter: https://x.com/tamarastro

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