I'm Tim Rawle. I was born and raised in the Black Country and Kidderminster, north Worcestershire, at the heart of the UK. I moved north to study Physics and Astronomy at the University of Durham, where I was a member of the vibrant Grey College. The banner image for this website shows the magnificiant castle and cathedral of Durham. After completing my degree, I decided to stay in the beautiful city of the Prince Bishops for another three years, while I worked towards a PhD in observational astronomy as part of the Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology Group. I completed my PhD in autumn 2009.

I now live in Tucson, southern Arizona, where I work at Steward Observatory, part of the University of Arizona. My current research involves the analysis of data from the the new ESA Herschel Space Observatory, the largest space telescope ever constructed with a 3.5m mirror (compared to Hubble's 2.4m). We use the far-infrared information to explore the dust content of distant galaxies (for more information see my astronomy pages or my website at Steward).

I play all kinds of sport (previously enjoying athletics to archery, gymnastics to judo), although my favourites nowadays are squash and football. I'm also a keen spectator (because the pros are better than me), particularly of football: I support my local team, Kidderminster Harriers, as well as the claret and blue of Birmingham's Aston Villa.

I also play the saxophone, and occasionally the piano, enjoy travelling, hiking, reading, and appreciate a fine beer. A selection of my photos can be found in my gallery.

If you have any comments or questions about my website, please contact me by email: tim[at]rawle.org.