BSc/BA (UNSW) 1999, PhD (UNSW) 2004
Tamara Maree Davis AM is an astrophysicist whose research focus is on the elusive phenomenon "dark energy". Professor Davis graduated from UNSW with a Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts (Physics and Astronomy) in 1999, followed by a PhD in Physics in 2004. Her thesis was titled Fundamental aspects of the expansion of the universe and cosmic horizons. In 2020 she was recognised with an UNSW Alumni Award for Research Achievement. Davis is a professor in the School of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Queensland and is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow. During her impressive career, Professor Davis has measured time-dilation in distant supernovae, helped map the distribution of galaxies in the universe and researched how supermassive black holes have expanded over the last 12 billion years. As an athlete, Professor Davis has also represented Australia in Ultimate Frisbee at an international level.Professor Davis has been recognised with numerous awards including the Astronomical Society of Australia's Louise Webster Prize (2009) and their Robert Ellery Lectureship in 2021. In 2020 she was made a member of the Order of Australia for her ‘significant service to astrophysical science, to education, and to young astronomers.
