Devika Kamath

Associate Investigator

Macquarie University

Biography

Dr Kamath is a stellar astrophysicist and a Senior Lecturer in astronomy & astrophysics at Macquarie University. She is internationally recognised for her pioneering work on observational spectroscopic studies of rare dying stars, and their implications on the origin of chemical elements in our Universe. Her discovery of a new class of stars has proved that our Universe is far more diverse and complex than what standard theories predicted. Dr Kamath has recently been awarded the prestigious Australian Research Council DECRA fellowship to tackle a long-standing question in astrophysics: ‘How are chemical elements in the Universe produced?’. As a child, her evenings included spending hours with her grandfather pretending to navigate through oceans using the night sky, a sextant, and a telescope. Fascinated by stars, she decided to become an astronomer at the age of 13. She has produced over 70 scientific publications and won competitive access to telescopes around the world, for an in-kind value of more than a million AUD. Her role as an expert member of the Anglo Australian Telescope’s (AAT) Time Allocation Committee, which allocates competitive telescope time to the astronomical community, exemplifies her strong track record in leadership and professional service. As a recognition of her scientific calibre, in 2019, she was chosen as one of the 60 Superstars of STEM by Science & Technology, Australia, a national award that recognises high-achieving Women in STEM. In honour of her achievements as an Indian scientist in Australia, she has recently been chosen as the 2020 Youth Ambassador for the India Australia Business and Community Award (IABCA) for science, research & development. She continually strives to nurture and encourage protégés, especially women from culturally diverse backgrounds, to pursue careers in science. Through her role as the Deputy Chair of the Astronomical Society of Australia's Inclusion, Diversity, Equity in Astronomy (IDEA) chapter she significantly contributes to the mammoth task of making STEM, especially astronomy and astrophysics, more inclusive. Alongside her research and professional activities, she is actively involved in student training and outreach programs which benefit the global STEM community.