Dr Bronwyn Dolman
School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences
College of Sciences
My research interests range from weather at the ground to satellites in LEO. If you are interested in radar or atmospheric physics please feel free to get in touch - happy to discuss projects to suit you. Two of my current projects which could incorporate 2026 Honours Physics projects are:
Meteor fireball analysis
Fireballs are large meteors, visible to the naked eye as they enter the atmosphere and colloquially called shooting stars. Fireballs are reflective to radar, and the resulting echo can be analysed to deternine the meteors orbit, and study the effects of the meteor entering the atmosphere. As these meteors are visible, additional information can be gained through simultaneous video of the event. Depending on interests, potential student projects in this area could be related to designing and building a camera, radar data analysis, or machine learning techniques to classify echoes.
Bat radar
Microbats are typically studied using acoustic and thermal imaging techniques. Studying and classifying micobats using radar is a relatively new but very promising technique. Student projects in this area could focus on techniques to track the bat within the radar beams or building low cost RPi based acoustic sensors to complement radar detections.
I hold an adjunct position with the University, while working as Principal Scientist for ATRAD Pty Ltd, an Adelaide based radar research, development and manufacturing company. While much of my research is focused on radar software, there are always some fun side projects! Some of my current research topics are:
- Optimising hardware and developing software to create an ecological radar to monitor birds and bats
- Analysing non-traditional meteor echoes
- Sensor fusion and incorporating machine learning into atmospheric sensing
I am happy to create and supervise student projects at any level, and can in some cases provide industry experience. If you have an interest in atmospheric remote sensing please get in touch.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Principal Scientist | Atrad (Australia) |
| 2010 - 2024 | Senior Scientist | Atrad (Australia) |