Staff Profile
Dr Malak Olamaie
Senior lecturer in Bayesian Data Science
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I am a theoretical astrophysicist and my research is in the area of cosmology and studying clusters of galaxies using a fully Bayesian approach. I studied Physics with theoretical astrophysics at the University of Nottingham under the supervision of Professor Peter Coles. After graduation in 2008, I started a doctorate in the astrophysics group at Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Mike Hobson and Professor Keith Grainge specialising in constraining physical properties of galaxy clusters using multi-waveband observations of clusters of galaxies.
After completing my PhD in 2012, I was awarded a John and Delia Agar research fellowship in science and engineering at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge to continue my research. I then moved to Imperial College, London as a postdoctoral research fellow to work on developing Bayesian Hierarchical models to analyse data from large scale structure of the Universe. In July 2019, I was appointed as a senior lecturer in Bayesian Data Science at York St. John University, a position I currently hold.
- School – School of Science, Technology and Health
- Email – m.olamaie@yorksj.ac.uk
- Postgraduate Research Supervisor
Further information
Teaching
I have taught a wide range of modules in Physics, Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science. Currently, I teach first and second year computer programming language modules for Data Science Degree apprenticeship.
Research
My research is in the area of cosmology and in particular studying clusters of galaxies, the most massive objects in the universe, using a full probability approach called Bayesian methodology. I use data from both ground-based and space telescopes combined with the laws and theories of Physics to understand the universe around us including its size, mass and evolution.
Publications
A selected list of journal articles:
- Olamaie, M., Hobson, M.P., Feroz, F., Grainge, K.J., Lasenby, A., Perrott, Y.C., Rumsey, C. and Saunders, R.D., 2018. Free-form modelling of galaxy clusters: a Bayesian and data-driven approach. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 481(3), pp.3853-3864.
- Olamaie, M., Feroz, F., Grainge, K.J., Hobson, M.P., Sanders, J.S. and Saunders, R.D., 2015. Bayes-X: a Bayesian inference tool for the analysis of X-ray observations of galaxy clusters. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 446(2), pp.1799-1819.
- Olamaie, M., Hobson, M.P. and Grainge, K.J., 2013. Mass and pressure constraints on galaxy clusters from interferometric Sunyaev–Zel'dovich observations. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 430(2), pp.1344-1353.
- Olamaie, M., Hobson, M.P. and Grainge, K.J., 2012. A simple parametric model for spherical galaxy clusters. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 423(2), pp.1534-1543.
- Olamaie, M., Rodríguez-Gonzálvez, C., Davies, M.L., Feroz, F., Franzen, T.M., Grainge, K.J., Hobson, M.P., Hurley-Walker, N., Lasenby, A.N. and Pooley, G.G., 2012. Parametrization effects in the analysis of AMI Sunyaev–Zel’dovich observations. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 421(2), pp.1136-1154.
- Rumsey, C., Olamaie, M., Perrott, Y.C., Russell, H.R., Feroz, F., Grainge, K.J., Handley, W.J., Hobson, M.P., Saunders, R.D. and Schammel, M.P., 2016. AMI observations of 10 CLASH galaxy clusters: SZ and X-ray data used together to determine cluster dynamical states. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 460(1), pp.569-589.
- Perrott, Y.C., Olamaie, M., Rumsey, C., Brown, M.L., Feroz, F., Grainge, K.J.B., Hobson, M.P., Lasenby, A.N., MacTavish, C.J., Pooley, G.G. and Saunders, R.D.E., 2015. Comparison of Sunyaev-Zel’dovich measurements from Planck and from the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager for 99 galaxy clusters. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 580, p.A95.
- Rodríguez-Gonzálvez, C., Olamaie, M., Davies, M.L., Fabian, A.C., Feroz, F., Franzen, T.M., Grainge, K.J., Hobson, M.P., Hurley-Walker, N. and Lasenby, A.N., 2011. Sunyaev–Zel’dovich observation of the Bullet-like cluster Abell 2146 with the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 414(4), pp.3751-3763.
- Rumsey, C., Perrott, Y.C., Olamaie, M., Saunders, R.D., Hobson, M.P., Stroe, A., Schammel, M.P. and Grainge, K.J., 2017. AMI SZ observation of galaxy-cluster merger CIZA J2242+ 5301: perpendicular flows of gas and dark matter. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 470(4), pp.4638-4645.
