How galactic mergers and their stellar survivors shaped our Milky Way

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This project aims to investigate the role of mergers with smaller galaxies in shaping the Milky Way by developing tools to identify stellar survivors of mergers. This project expects to produce an all-sky map of stellar survivors based on the largest search within Australian and international survey data and perform innovative comparisons with simulations to constrain the role of mergers. Expected outcomes are aligned with the decadal plan for Australian astronomy and can open new avenues for global astronomy and contracts for upcoming billion-dollar surveys. The project should cement Australia’s role as a leader in a new era of galactic exploration and provide benefits beyond astronomy by training Australians to assess complex big data.