Rate My Professor Simon Murphy
Simon Murphy
University of New South Wales
Makes complex topics easy to understand. Has absolute enthusiasim for everyhting he teaches! Also understands that people learn at differing rates and that some content is harder than others. Breaks down the topics, links content to applications and then explands on the content in easy to understand steps. Makes some of the most dry content bearable and easy to understand and always happy to put in more work and help more when ever you need!
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Always clear, engaging, and insightful.
Helps students build confidence and skills.
Inspires growth and curiosity in every student.
Inspires curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.
About Simon
Dr Simon Murphy is a Lecturer in the School of Science at UNSW Canberra, University of New South Wales, where he holds an education-focused position in Physics. He obtained his PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics from the Australian National University in 2012, focusing on populations of young stars around the open clusters η and ε Chamaeleontis. Earlier degrees include a BSc (First Class Honours) from ANU in 2006 and a BSc (Astronomy) from the University of Canterbury in 2003–2005. His career trajectory encompasses postdoctoral positions at the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics, ANU (2012 and 2015), the Gliese Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Heidelberg (2013–2014), and the Vice Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at UNSW Canberra (2016–2020). Appointed Lecturer in Astrophysics in September 2021, he teaches first-year physics, second-year astrophysics, and supervises tutorials and laboratory sessions.
Murphy's academic interests lie in stellar astronomy and planetary systems, particularly identifying and characterizing the youngest low-mass stars near the Sun to probe early stellar evolution and planet formation environments. He employs data from international telescopes, space missions like Gaia and TESS, and all-sky surveys such as SkyMapper. His publication record features over 40 journal articles, including first-author contributions like “2MASS J15460752−6258042: a mid-M dwarf hosting a prolonged accretion disc” (MNRAS, 2020), “Sporadic and intense accretion in a 1 Myr-old brown dwarf candidate” (A&A, 2020), and recent co-authored works such as “The Age and High-energy Environment of the Very Young Transiting Exoplanet TOI 1227 b” (ApJ, 2025) and “Direct imaging and astrometric detection of a gas giant planet orbiting an accelerating star” (Science, 2023). Murphy has earned the Vice Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Gliese Fellowship, Joan Duffield Research Scholarship, and an honourable mention for the ASA's Charlene Heisler Prize. His research garners significant impact in the field.
Professional Email: simon.murphy@unsw.edu.au