Physics and Astronomy

Professor Richard Alexander

• Planet formation
• Protoplanetary discs
• Star formation
• Super-massive black hole growth

Professor Martin Barstow

• White dwarfs
• Sirius-type binaries
• Interstellar medium
• Stellar atmosphere modelling

Professor Andrew Blain

• Formation and evolution of galaxies
• Complete luminosity of galaxies
• Use and details of gravitational lensing, again focussed mainly on its effects on infrared sources
• Investigating the nature of the ultra luminous galaxies

Dr Matt Burleigh

• Search for transiting exoplanets
• White dwarfs
• Sirius-type binaries

Dr Sarah Casewell

• White dwarfs
• Brown Dwarfs
• Irradiated atmospheres
• Searching for Transiting brown dwarfs

Dr Mike Goad

• X-ray astronomy
• Active Galactic Nuclei

Professor Jon Lapington

• Detector physics
• Space instrumenation
• Picosecond phton timing
• Astroparticle physics

• Galaxy formation, structure, and dynamics 
• The Milky Way and Galactic archaeology 
• Models and simulations of galaxies

Professor Sergei Nayakshin

• Planetary/Stellar formation modelling
• Active Galactic Nuclei
• X-ray observations 

Professor Paul O'Brien

• Investigating compact objects in the universe
• Black holes in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN)
• Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB) at all wavelengths across a wide range in redshift
• Sources of gravitational waves 

Professor Mervyn Roy

• Quantum dots
• Scanning tunnelling microscopy
• Electronic structure of semiconductor nanostructures
• Graphene photodetectors

Dr Rhaana Starling

• Gamma-ray bursts and tidal disruption events
• Radio and X-ray  transients
• Active Galactic Nuclei

Professor Nial Tanvir

• Gravitational wave sources
• Gamma-ray bursts
• Galaxy evolution and reionization

Professor Simon Vaughan

• Active galactic nuclei (AGN)
• Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and black hole X-ray binaries in our Galaxy
• Probes of strong gravity, time series astronomy, Bayesian data analysis in astronomy, and dust-scattering from GRBs
• Astrostatistics, especially time series analysis

Professor Mark Wilkinson

• Galaxy formation
• Properties of dark matter using observations of the satellite galaxies which orbit the Milky Way
• Dynamical models of the Milky Way

Dr Michael Barkley

• Satellite trace gas retrieval algorithms
• Global mapping of atmospheric composition and sources using satellites
• Differential Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS)
• Integration of field and aircraft measurements with complex models and satellite data
• Global and regional modelling of atmospheric chemistry
• Biogenic VOCs emissions and their impact on climate 

Dr Jeremy Harrison

• Quantitative spectroscopic laboratory measurements for atmospheric remote sensing of trace gases
• Atmospheric radiative transfer modelling
• Monitoring trace gases in the atmosphere using satellite instruments
• Comparisons of satellite-derived atmospheric trace-gas distributions with models
• Atmospheric chemistry

Dr Robert Parker

• Climate and Earth System Model evaluation
• Remote sensing and land surface modelling of the carbon cycle, methane and wildfires
• Improving our understanding of the global methane budget
• Developing Digital Twins of the Earth System using remote sensing, climate modelling and artificial intelligence

Dr Adam Povey

• Physics of aerosols, clouds, precipitation, and their interactions
• Radiative transfer for lidar and visible/infrared imagery
• Optimal estimation retrieval methods and assessment of uncertainties 

• Utilising Earth Observation for climate and environmental science
• Linking surface change with atmospheric composition
• Improving the uptake of global-scale satellite land surface temperature

Dr Harjinder Sembhi

• Anthropogenic emissions of atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gases
• Detecting heat stress signatures in solar induced fluorescence in intensive agricultural regions
• Using Earth Observation to test efficacy of environmental policies

• Atmospheric aerosol measurement and low cost optical sensors
• Environmental data for healthcare
• Indoor air quality measurement and management
• Environmentally sustainable transport

Professor Richard Ambrosi

• Development of instrumentation and detector systems for planetary science and terrestrial applications
• Exploitation of high-energy cosmic ray and solar radiation with planetary surfaces
• Space nuclear power systems
• Radioisotope thermoelectric generators, heater units and novel radioisotope containment systems

Dr Chrysa Avdellidou

• Physical properties of small bodies and impacts.
• Exploration of asteroids and planetary surfaces
• Study of collisions on Moon and Phobos

Professor Nigel Bannister

• Space instrumentation development
• Mission analysis
• Observational astronomy
• Technology developments for terrestrial applications

Professor John Bridges

• Early Solar System processes
• Origen of asteroids and comets
• Evolution of Mars
• Surface of planetary bodies, particularly the evolution of the Mars surface and climate

Professor Emma Bunce

• Giant rotating magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn
• Dynamic auroral emissions in the upper atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn

Dr Jennifer Carter

• Solar wind charge exchange X-ray emission at Earth & other Solar System bodies
• Distribution of exospheric neutral hydrogen
• Solar wind magnetospheric ionosperic coupling
• SMILE with associated ground & space-based solar-terrestrial physics

Professor Leigh Fletcher

• Characterising giant planet systems via spacecraft and telescope observations
• Atmospheric dynamics and chemistry from Cassini, Juno, JUICE and JWST
• Infrared observations of icy ocean worlds around giant planets
• Planetary origins from bulk atmospheric composition

Professor Ian Hutchinson

• Space instrumentation for planetary exploration and astrophysics
• Raman spectroscopy
• X-ray spectroscopy
• Planetary surface science (Mars, Europa)
• Astrobiology

Dr Suzanne Imber

• In situ spacecraft measurements of magnetic field and plasma data
• Ground-based radar measurements of the ionospheric plasma velocity using the SuperDARN radar network
• Images of the auroral ovals taken from polar orbiting spacecraft

Professor Mark Lester

• Ground-based radar measurements of Earth’s ionosphere
• Mars’ ionosphere and solar wind interactions

Professor Steve Milan

• Magnetospheric and ionospheric physics within the solar system
• Solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling
• Coordinated ground- and space-based studies of the aurora
• Solar wind transients and imaging the inner heliosphere

Professor Jonathan Nichols

• UV observations of the auroras (‘northern lights’) of Jupiter and Saturn
• Modelling of the magnetospheres of gas giants
• Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, exoplanets and brown dwarfs

Dr Beatriz Sánchez-Cano

• Ionospheres of unmagnetized planets (Mars, Venus) and solar wind interactions
• Planetary Space Weather
• Solar wind in situ spacecraft measurements of magnetic field and plasma data
• Propagation of solar wind transients in the heliosphere 

Dr Darren Wright

• Dynamics of the terrestrial magnetosphere, ionosphere and ring current during geomagnetic storms
• Ionospheric plasma flows and the high energisation of ring current plasma
• Heavy ion outflow from the upper atmosphere resulting from various geomagnetic conditions

Professor Tim Yeoman

• ULF waves
• Solar wind-magnetosphere coupling
• Magnetospheric substorms

Dr Adrian Martindale

• Space instrumentation and BepiColombo to Mercury

Professor Mark Sims

• Astrobiology
• Novel uses of instrumentation and technology to address science problems.
• Space instrumentation development
• Advanced instrumentation for diagnosis in medicine

Dr Emily Jane Watkinson

• Space nuclear power systems
• Radioisotope/nuclear fuels research for space
• Radioisotope containment research
• Radioisotope thermoelectric generators, heater units and containment systems