• Geoff Mathews
• Research
• About Me
• CV

About Me

I come to the IfA by way of Texas, where I grew up and attended university. I left my hometown high school to start university early, at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. I then went on to study Physics at the University of Texas at Austin, where I also enrolled in the then-prototype UTeach teacher preparation program.

After graduation, I taught English in Japan for two years as a participant in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. I enjoyed my time in Japan, but I missed science, so I returned to Texas where I became a high school science teacher.

My interest in Astronomy grew out of a series of workshops I attended at the University of Texas when I was a high school science teacher. As these workshops were tied to the development of a mid-infrared spectrograph, many of the sessions involved young stars and circumstellars disks, which I found fascinating. I have retained that fascination, and now study circumstellar disks - the birthplace of planets - myself.

I'm a self-acknowledged nerd, and proud of it. I love science fiction and history, and read both voraciously. Board games and table-top roleplaying games are particular passions of mine - I try to make time for one or the other every week. Fortunately, my awesome wife tolerates my quirks, as long as I make time to take her to the beach each weekend :-)

(Last updated Jan 2012)