Doug Welch
Doug Welch is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His love of astronomy began at age eight when he first saw Saturn and the Moon through a small telescope. As a professional astronomer for the last two decades, his research has brought him repeatedly to the southern hemisphere to study the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. His primary research areas are the study of variable stars and the search for dark matter. He has visited Mount Stromlo Observatory on many occasions and has published dozens of papers based on observations obtained there. Dr Welch developed his interest in the scientific study of variable stars in high school, as a teenage member of the American Association of Variable Star Observers. He continues to be involved with amateur astronomy activities as a founding member of the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers. He travels widely and is a well-known astronomy educator.