A Curtin University adjunct professor who has an asteroid named after him has been awarded an Australian Laureate Fellowship.
Philip Bland was today lauded for his work into meteorites and how they can reveal the origin of the solar system.
Associate Professor Bland is based at Imperial College in London and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Applied Geology at Curtin’s Western Australian School of Mines.
His work analyses primitive meteorites and the impact of asteroids and comets on the Earth’s surface.
“From applying geological concepts to the study of meteorites, we are hoping to understand how our solar system came into being,” he said.
Australian Laureate Fellowships recognise outstanding researchers of international repute.
Graeme Wright, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Development at Curtin University, attended the awards ceremony in Melbourne on Professor Bland’s behalf.
“We are delighted that Associate Professor Bland has received this recognition for his fundamental research in planetary science and the origins of our solar system,” Professor Wright said.
Associate Professor Bland previously had an asteroid – (6580) Philbland – named after him to honour his contribution to planetary science.
He sits on several panels of the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council and has published his findings in journals such as Science, Nature, Nature Geoscience, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
