Hi, I'm Toby Brown.
I’m an astronomer at the Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre, where I study the question: How do galaxies evolve? My research focuses on the intricate relationships between the gas in galaxies —essential for star formation — and their stellar, star formation, and chemical properties.
Specializing in the analysis of large multi-wavelength datasets, I aim to understand galaxy populations as a whole. Additionally, I contribute to building digital infrastructure that supports astronomy research, making it more accessible and efficient.
Current Research
I lead the VERTICO Survey (Brown et al. 2021), a completed ALMA Cycle 7 Large Program that has mapped the molecular gas, as the raw fuel for star formation, in 51 Virgo Cluster galaxies with the aim of revealing the effects of environment on galaxies' gas content in unprecedented detail.
I am in the management group of MAUVE, a large program using the MUSE instrument on the Very Large Telescope. This project uses incredible data to understand the influence of the environment on the gas-star formation cycle of cluster galaxies during their infall.
As a scientist, I guide the development of the Canadian Square Kilometre Array Regional Centre with the goal of providing Canadian and international users with access to the SKA data. The establishment of this centre requires computing, network and storage infrastructure services two orders of magnitude more powerful than those currently existing in Canada.
Research at Herzberg
At the Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre, we conduct world-class research across a broad range of astrophysics. We have access to current and future premier facilities like SKA, CHORD, ALMA, Rubin Observatory, Gemini Observatory, Canada France Hawaii Telescope, and state-of-the-art labs. We are also home to the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre which provides leading data services and cloud computing.
We offer four postdoctoral fellowship programs, including the Plaskett Fellowship, Covington Fellowship, and Instrument Science Fellowship. Additionally, the NRC runs an annual open postdoctoral program. Interested in applying? Feel free to contact me.