Professor Matthew Colless AO FAA FRAS is a Distinguished Professor in the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA), of which he was Director from 2013 to 2022. He obtained his BSc at Sydney, his PhD at Cambridge, held research fellowships at Durham, Kitt Peak National Observatory and Cambridge, and was Director of the Australian Astronomical Observatory from 2004 to 2012. His research uses large spectroscopic surveys of galaxies to understand their formation and evolution, to map their large-scale structures and motions, and to measure cosmological parameters. Prof. Colless is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and an ISI Citation Laureate. He was formerly a Vice-President of the International Astronomical Union, a Founders’ Chair for the Giant Magellan Telescope project, and a member of the European Southern Observatory Council. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2023 for "for distinguished service to scientific research, particularly to astronomy and astrophysics, and to professional societies".

B.Sc. Hons I (Sydney), Ph.D. (Cambridge), FAA, FRAS

Observational cosmology; large-scale structure of the universe; galaxy evolution; clusters of galaxies; surveys of redshifts, distances and peculiar velocities; astronomical instrumentation.