Refugee researcher Rami Alsaberi leads discovery of interstellar cloud in nearby galaxy

Iraqi-born researcher Rami Alsaberi has always been fascinated by the “mystery” of astronomy. His journey from Baghdad to southwest Sydney has put him on the path to a major discovery.

Western Sydney University researcher Rami Alsaberi. Picture: Sally Tsoutas

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An email exchange three years ago put refugee researcher Rami Alsaberi on the path to a major extragalactic discovery.

The Western Sydney University PhD student, 37, fled Baghdad with his family in 2013 and lived in Jordan for a couple of years while his visa application was processed.

“It was very difficult to move; we left everything, our house, our friends, and our jobs,” he said.

Mr Alsaberi is working on another supernova remnant project. Picture: Sally Tsoutas

Settling in Casula in 2016, Mr Alsaberi, who completed a bachelor’s degree and masters in astronomy at the University of Baghdad, said one of the first things he wanted to do was to visit an observatory.

He contacted Western Sydney University’s Professor Miroslav Filipovic, chair of the university’s Penrith observatory, to arrange a tour and meet the academic, who encouraged him to pursue further studies.

Prof Filipovic is now his PhD supervisor.

A large remnant from the SN explosion in the neighbouring Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy.

As part of his studies, Mr Alsaberi and a team of researchers discovered a giant interstellar cloud made up of supernova remnant and pulsar — known as a pulsar wind nebular — in a dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way called the Small Magellanic Cloud.

He said studying supernova remnant was key to understanding its “history, what happened before the explosion”.

The research is published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Astronomy, he said, was “still a mystery”.

Mr Alsaberi is working on another supernova remnant project while preparing for his confirmation of candidature for his PhD.

“I believe if you have something, if you persist, you can do it, especially here (in Australia).

“You can do whatever you want.”

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