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Professor Matthew Middleton is a Professor of Astrophysics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton. He was awarded his PhD in astronomy from the University of Durham in 2010, with a focus on the connection between active galactic nuclei and black hole binaries. After his PhD, he held a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship at the University of Amsterdam from 2012 to 2014 and an STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship at the University of Cambridge until 2016. He then joined the University of Southampton, advancing to his current professorial role. Middleton currently serves as Director of the Southampton Space Institute, Deputy Head of School (Education) in the School of Physics and Astronomy, and a member of the Southampton Theory Astrophysics and Gravity (STAG) Research Centre. He has held leadership positions in major missions such as ESA's NewAthena and contributes to UK Space Agency initiatives. In 2026, he was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, succeeding Professor David Flower at the end of 2026. He previously served as a Royal Astronomical Society Council member from 2019 to 2022, vice president, and Fellow, contributing to society policy and the creation of the journal RAS Techniques and Instruments.
Middleton's research specializations encompass accretion onto compact objects, particularly black holes, ultraluminous X-ray sources, neutron stars, X-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei, and phenomena like quasi-periodic eruptions. His work integrates theoretical modeling, numerical simulations of super-critical accretion discs, spectral analysis, and multiwavelength time-domain studies. Active projects include searching for hidden compact objects in the Milky Way and investigating the pulsar population through citizen science, statistics, and machine learning. He has produced over 200 publications, garnering more than 6,600 citations. Key publications include 'Quasi-periodic eruptions as Lense-Thirring precession of super-Eddington flows' (Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2025), 'A new broadband spectral state in the ultraluminous X-ray source Holmberg IX X-1' (Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2025), and 'Long timescale numerical simulations of large, super-critical accretion discs' (Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2025). His contributions influence understanding of black hole growth, feedback in galaxies, and extreme astrophysical environments.
Explore the University of Southampton's launch of the Southampton Space Institute, boosting education, research, and jobs in the UK's £17bn space sector. Insights on collaborations, innovations, and career opportunities.
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