astronomy

Timothy Schmidt

Timothy Schmidt is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Timothy Schmidt rather than just read about it. In short: Timothy Schmidt (born 1975) is an Australian physical chemist, Professor, and Head of the School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales. Early life and education Schmidt was born in Canberra in 1975.

Key takeaways

Timothy Schmidt belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Timothy Schmidt to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Timothy Schmidt from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Timothy Schmidt (born 1975) is an Australian physical chemist, Professor, and Head of the School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales.

Early life and education Schmidt was born in Canberra in 1975. He represented Australia at the International Chemistry Olympiad in 1993, winning a bronze medal, and graduated from James Ruse Agricultural High School. He obtained a BSc (Hons) from University of Sydney, winning the university medal in theoretical chemistry. He studied for his PhD under Gareth Roberts at Churchill College, Cambridge, graduating in 2002.

Research and career Schmidt undertook postdoctoral studies with John Paul Maier, FRS, at The University of Basel and was appointed as a research scientist at CSIRO in 2003. In 2004 he was appointed as lecturer at The University of Sydney and rose to associate professor before taking up an ARC Future Fellowship at The University of New South Wales in 2014. In 2026 he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science

Awards 2026 Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science 2022 Liversidge Lecture 2015 Broida Prize, International Symposium on Free Radicals 2015 Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales 2012 APA Prize for Young Scientist 2010 Coblentz Award 2009 Young Tall Poppy Science Award 1998 University of Sydney The University Medal

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Timothy Schmidt

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Timothy Schmidt claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Timothy Schmidt before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Timothy Schmidt ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Timothy Schmidt

In research: Timothy Schmidt appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Timothy Schmidt in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Timothy Schmidt is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1975 births, Academic staff of the University of Sydney, Alumni of Churchill College, Cambridge, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Timothy Schmidt outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Timothy Schmidt in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Timothy Schmidt means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Timothy Schmidt out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Timothy Schmidt in simple terms?

Timothy Schmidt (born 1975) is an Australian physical chemist, Professor, and Head of the School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales. Early life and education Schmidt was born in Canberra in 1975.

Why does Timothy Schmidt matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Timothy Schmidt?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Timothy Schmidt.