Support the Lab
Our lab studies Gravitational Wave Paleontology — using astrophysical simulations and AI-driven data science to reconstruct the lives of massive stars across cosmic time from the gravitational waves they leave behind. We think of these signals as cosmic fossils: faint traces that let us piece together the stories of stars and black holes that lived and died long before humans existed.
We want that science to be something people can be part of, not just read about from a distance. That’s why we’ve partnered with Rakiura.
What is Rakiura?
Rakiura is a platform that connects working research labs directly with the people who want to follow, support, and take part in their science. Instead of outreach that only shows the polished, finished result, labs on Rakiura share the real thing — ongoing research, data, open questions, and the occasional dead end included. There are no ads and no institutional middlemen: the platform is sustained by the community that wants this kind of science to exist.
You can explore our lab’s home on Rakiura here:
The GROWL Task Force
Together with Rakiura, we run a Gravitational Wave Task Force — the GROWL Task Force. It’s an open community where anyone curious about gravitational-wave astrophysics can get involved. As a participant you can:
- Follow the lab — see what we’re actually working on, week to week
- Listen to the podcast — an ongoing audio series (starting with Welcome to Cosmic Fossils and The Dinosaurs of the Universe) that walks through the ideas behind our research, chapter by chapter
- Get the news — updates, results, and behind-the-scenes stories from the group
- Contribute to real science — join a community of 25+ researchers and work alongside us on genuine research problems, not simulations of research
You don’t need to be an astrophysicist to take part — just curious. Learn more about the kinds of questions we’re tackling on our research projects page.
Why this works: doing science with the public, not for it
What makes this sustainable rather than charitable is that value flows in every direction — no group is a pure recipient:
- Industry participants contribute professional software and data-engineering expertise that academic groups often lack, and mentor students — and that work feeds back into the research tools everyone uses.
- The research gives the public a firsthand, lived understanding of how publicly funded science actually works, and gives students mentorship and pathways into technical careers.
- Students, in turn, help onboard and support new members.
It’s a community where everyone gives something and everyone gets something back — science done with the public, rather than handed down to it.
How to join
The best way to support the lab is simply to join the GROWL Task Force on Rakiura and become part of the community:
Membership is what keeps the platform independent and funds the lab’s work directly — an alternative to supporting science from a distance and hoping it reaches the right place. Supporters can back the lab by subscribing to the podcast or becoming a core supporter, and membership is always free for students in the research group. Whether you follow along, listen, or dive in and contribute, you’re helping make this kind of open, community-driven science possible.
For more about Rakiura and the wider vision, see the Rakiura about page and research projects.