Duane Hamacher

Duane Hamacher is Associate Professor of Cultural Astronomy in the ARC Centre of Excellence in All-Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) within School of Physics at the University of Melbourne. Prof Hamacher researches cultural astronomy, Indigenous Knowledge, Dark Sky studies, astronomical heritage, and the history and philosophy of science.

He works closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia and Indigenous communities in Thailand, Central America, the USA, and Canada, and works to increase Indigenous representation in the astronomical and space sciences in Australia.

He serves as Secretary of the International Society for Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture (ISAAC), is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage (JAHH), Chairs the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group on Ethnoastronomy & Intangible Heritage, and serves on the IAU Working Group for Star Names.
He was a recipient of an Australian Research Council DECRA fellowship (2014-2018), where he worked with Meriam elders to record and preserve the astronomical knowledge and traditions of Torres Strait Islanders. Prof Hamacher earned degrees in Physics (BS: Missouri), Observational Astronomy (MSc: UNSW), and Indigenous Studies (PhD: Macquarie) and has fieldwork experience in archaeology, ethnography, and geophysics. He is a consultant, science communicator, TEDx speaker, and has appeared in several films and documentaries.