In June 2014 I was selected to the list of the most highly cited researchers in space science for publications over the 2002-2012 period, a list that includes just ~100 astronomers world wide (~1% of all professional astronomers); I was also selected to the list in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. You can access the 2014 list here. Note that, on the basis of this list, Durham is the joint 5th most successful institute in space sciences world wide and 1st in Europe.
My research focuses on studying Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN; the sites of supermassive black hole [SMBH] growth) and their association with (and impact on) star formation through cosmic time. I primarily use X-ray, optical infrared, and submillimetre observations (typically the deepest ever taken) in conjunction with optical--infrared spectroscopy and integral field unit observations (IFU; spatially resolved spectroscopy). Much of my research is focused on the NuSTAR X-ray surveys and the Chandra Deep Field Surveys (CDFs; the deepest X-ray observations of the Universe ever taken) and the extensive multi-wavelength follow-up datasets that myself and others have obtained. These data provide a penetrating probe of AGN activity and SMBH growth in the distant Universe and I have used these observations to identify some of the most rapidly evolving (i.e., most quickly growing) objects in the Universe. These objects are often deeply enshrouded by dust and gas, making them difficult to detect, and I have developed techniques to identify these sources and determine their properties.