Bryan Gaensler

Bryan Gaensler is an Australian astrophysicist and radio astronomer whose research focuses on cosmic magnetism—the magnetic fields of galaxies, pulsars, magnetars, and supernova remnants. He uses radio telescopes to detect polarized radiation that reveals the structure and strength of magnetic fields across the Milky Way and beyond.

Gaensler has held positions at the University of Sydney and served as director of the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto. He has since returned to Australia and remains active in major international radio astronomy projects.

Gaensler has been a pioneer in using radio polarization to map the large-scale magnetic field structure of the Milky Way and other galaxies. His work on supernova remnants and pulsars has helped clarify how magnetic fields are generated, amplified, and maintained in different astrophysical environments.

Gaensler has been associated with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project and has used instruments such as the Australia Telescope Compact Array and the Parkes radio telescope for large-scale magnetic field surveys. His research has helped lay scientific groundwork for the magnetism studies that next-generation radio telescopes will conduct.