Luna Media Pty Ltd is a boutique publishing company established in 2004 and based in Sydney. It publishes the popular science magazine, COSMOS, and has announced the launch in November 2006 of G Magazine, a lifestyle title for people who love their lifestyle and the planet.
It was founded by four people: Australian neuroscientist and entrepreneur Dr Alan Finkel, magazine publishing executive Kylie Ahern, and science journalists Wilson da Silva and Elizabeth Finkel. The first issue of COSMOS was launched in June 2005, and the online news and features service, Cosmos Online, launched in June 2006.
Dr Alan Finkel
Dr Alan Finkel is a neuroscientist and entrepreneur, and one of the founders of COSMOS. The chairman of Luna Media Pty Ltd, publishers of COSMOS, he also chairs the magazine's Editorial Advisory Board. Winner of the 2005 Clunies Ross Medal, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006 - in both cases, for his contribution to science and education. With a doctorate in electrical engineering from Monash University, Alan was a postdoctoral researcher at the John Curtin School of Medical Research in Canberra, where he invented a new voltage clamp that made it possible to measure the electrical activity of previously inaccessible, individual neurons in mammals. He went on to establish Axon Instruments Inc, a scientific equipment manufacturer with a global reputation, and lead it for 22 years until its acquisition in 2004.
Kylie Ahern
Kylie Ahern is a magazine publishing executive and one of the founders of COSMOS. The Managing Director of Luna Media Pty Ltd, publishers of COSMOS, she is also the magazine's Publisher and has more than a decade of magazine experience in Australia and Britain. She rose through the ranks as a marketing and circulation specialist across a range of titles: from Fishing World and Australian Photography to mass-market titles such as Australian Women's Weekly, The Bulletin and Delicious. A former marketing and circulation manager of New Scientist, Kylie has served as a Publisher at Yaffa where she was responsible for the success of 12 titles, from advertising and production, to editorial, circulation and marketing. Her launch of COSMOS was recognised with a Highly Commended citation for Best Consumer Magazine Launch at the 2005 Bell Magazine Awards.
Wilson da Silva
Wilson da Silva is a science journalist and one of the founders of COSMOS. The Editorial Director of Luna Media Pty Ltd, publishers of COSMOS, he is also is also the magazine's Editor and the creative force behind its approach. A former on-air reporter for ABC TV's Quantum science program, he has served as editor of the magazines Newton and 21C, was science editor of ABC Online, has been a foreign correspondent for the global newswire Reuters, and is a former journalist on The Age and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers. The winner of 17 journalism and film awards - including the 2005 Bell Magazine Award for Editor of the Year, the 2000 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Documentary - Wilson is currently president of the World Federation of Science Journalists and is a former president of the Australian Science Communicators and The Australian Museum Society. more
