My research interests focus on the properties of the Universe on the largest scales. Surveys of three-dimensional galaxy positions provide a wealth of data both on the physics just after the Big-Bang when the seed fluctuations that will grow through gravity to become galaxies were created, and on the physics driving the evolution of the Universe today.

As of April 2023:  Research has resulted in 335 refereed journal papers (see publications and NASA ADS for an up-to-date listing), which have collectively been cited over 64,800 times (source: ADS). Of these, a major role was played in the science contributing to 164, the others being collaboration papers where input was through collaboration activity including editing draft papers and contributions to producing the data sets including both management and practical work.

Large international teams are required to undertake galaxy surveys, and I help to run a number of experiments. 

Co-chair of the Galaxy Clustering Working Group for the Euclid Consortium, co-coordinator of all science working groups and member of the Euclid Consortium Coordination Group, Member of the Editorial Board, Founder of the mission (a formal position acknowledging significant contribution to early infrastructure, giving rights to appear on collaboration publications). Euclid is a M-class satellite European Space Agency (ESA) mission which launched on July 1, 2023.

Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Builder (similar status to Founder for Euclid). Member of Institutional Board (2015-). Co-lead of the clustering catalogue Key Project (2020-21). Co-chair of the Quasar & Galaxy Clustering working group and member of the Science Committee (2016-19). PI of DESI-UK consortium (2013-18), and member of the Executive Committee (2016-18). DESI is a next generation multi-object spectrograph on the Mayall telescope. Survey operations are underway and will finish in 2026.

International member of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope galaxy redshift survey project infrastructure team. Member of the executive committee. The Roman Space Telescope is a NASA observatory designed to unravel the secrets of dark energy and dark matter, search for and image exoplanets, and explore many topics in infrared astrophysics. It will launch before May 2027.

Co-chair of the cosmology working group for the Mauna Kea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) (2018-), a possible new facility that will undertake a number of exciting galaxy redshift surveys.  

Survey Scientist for the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) (2012-20), part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV) project. eBOSS Architect status (similar to Founder status for Euclid). Final results from eBOSS were announced July 2020.

Co-chair of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) Galaxy Clustering Working Group (2010- 12). SDSS-III (of which BOSS was part) Advisory Council member (2011-13). BOSS Architect status.

Co-chair of the Large-Scale Structure working group for the Dark Energy Survey (DES) (2007-14). DES Builder status.

Steering committee member for the VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS) (2012-17).