The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) is a world-leading astronomical research institute located in Perth, Western Australia and supported by the State Government of Western Australia. ICRAR conducts cutting-edge radio astronomy research using some of the world’s most powerful telescopes including the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) and Parkes Observatory.
ICRAR was established in 2009 as a joint venture between Curtin University and The University of Western Australia, with each university contributing $5 million to the centre. The State Government of Western Australia provided an additional $15 million over three years. ICRAR is now one of only four node centres of the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project – the largest science project in history.
As well as being home to ASKAP, MWA and Parkes, ICRAR also hosts data from a number of other international radio telescopes including the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA), Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). These data are used by astronomers from around the world to study some of the most pressing questions in astrophysics today such as: How did galaxies form and evolve? What is dark matter? What are fast radio bursts?
In addition to its role in conducting astronomical research, ICRAR is also committed to providing leadership in radio astronomy education and training both nationally and internationally. Through its education and public outreach programs, ICRAR engages with thousands of people every year, sharing the excitement of discovering our Universe through radio waves.