I am a member of staff at the Department of Physics and the Institute of Space Sciences & Astronomy (ISSA) at the University of Malta.
Between 2012 and 2016 I was a postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics at the Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik (AIP) in Potsdam, Germany, working in the Galaxies & Quasars group and the MUSE Consortium.
Previously, I carried out my doctoral research in the high-redshift group within the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford, where I read for a DPhil in astrophysics as a Marie Curie research fellow in a network associated with the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope NIRSpec Instrument.
Research
My research interests in astrophysics include:
- reionization
- galaxy formation & evolution
- star formation at high redshift
- Lyman-alpha
- galactic dynamics
I am currently involved in a number of international collaborations. I serve on the management committee (representing Malta) on the Europe-wide MW-Gaia COST Action (Gaia is a European Space Agency observatory), and as a contributing scientist to THESEUS, being a member of Working Group1 – Exploring the Early Universe with Gamma Ray Bursts, and Working Group 5 – Synergy with Future Facilities.
My other research interests are in hyperbaric medicine, particularly in regard to applying statistical methods and mathematical models to decompression theory. For this work, I collaborate with the Hyperbaric Unit at Mater Dei hospital (Malta’s acute general teaching hospital).
For more information visit the research page.
A selected list of my publications may be found on Google Scholar, the NASA astrophysics database system (ADS), or the publications page on this website.
You may also download a copy of my CV here, and you may contact me via email: joseph [dot] caruana [at] um [dot] edu [dot] mt
Teaching
At the University of Malta, I currently teach:
- Electricity and Magnetism and Optics,
- Physical Optics,
- Introduction to Astronomy and Cosmology,
- Advanced Astrophysics and Cosmology, and
- Philosophy of Science.
In the past I have also taught Nuclear Physics.
Previously, at Christ Church, University of Oxford, I tutored General Relativity and Cosmology.
The Rest
Outside my research and teaching duties, I am active in speaking about light pollution and the importance of preserving our Dark Sky Heritage Areas (DSHAs). In my free time, I try my best to spread awareness about Dwejra, a Natura 2000 site and DSHA in Gozo which is very close to heart. I enjoy taking photographs, venturing underwater, and playing the piano.