UK Solar Physics

Research Assistant / Senior Research Assistant in Solar Physics (3-year position)

uksp_ch — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:27:08 +0000

From: James McLaughlin

Research Assistant / Senior Research Assistant (3-year position) [reference :CEI09/07 ]

Applications are invited for an internally–funded, Postdoctoral Research Assistant / Senior Research Assistant to undertake research in Solar Physics with Dr James McLaughlin. This postdoctoral position is fixed term for a period of 3 years from September 2010 until August 2013 (September is the expected start date, but this is flexible).

Applications are welcome from all areas of Solar Physics research, including magnetohydrodynamics, mathematical modelling of solar phenomena, and the analysis of solar observations. Candidates should complete the application form and include a list of relevant publications as well as details of their research plans for the post.

If you are interested in applying for this position, feel free to call me (0191-227-3667) or email me for further details (james.a.mclaughlin@northumbria.ac.uk).

Note the deadline – Monday 5th April 2010 !

The job advert can be found here:

http://work4.northumbria.ac.uk/hrvacs/cei0907-10

and I have reproduced it below. Note that the position is advertised as : Mathematics – Ref: CEI09/07

**************************************

Senior Research Assistants/Research Assistants

School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences

Ref: CEI09/07-10

Salary: SRA: £25,198 – £30,656; RA: £20,316-£23,767

We are looking to appoint Senior Research Assistants / Research Assistants in the following areas:

• Mathematics (fixed term until August 2013) – Ref: CEI09/07

• Renewable Energy (fixed term for 3 years) – Ref: CEI09/08

• Imaging for Forensics and Security (fixed term for 3 years) – Ref: CEI09/09

• Photonic – Microwave Communication Engineering (fixed term until August 2011) – Ref: CEI09/10

You will be required to undertake research in a relevant area which is complementary to the current research portfolio of the School, contribute to teaching modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and engage in external activities to build collaborative research with other public and private organisations.

You must hold a good first degree and have subject expertise within the relevant discipline. Relevant specialist knowledge gained from experience of research activity, professional practice or consultancy is also essential. A PhD in a relevant discipline is required for applications at Senior Research Assistant level.

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Dr. Colin Creasy on 0191 227 4348.

If you would like to apply, please send your completed Application Form to staffcareers@northumbria.ac.uk.

Application forms can be found here:

http://work4.northumbria.ac.uk/hrvacs/cei0907-10

Northumbria University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.

Closing date: 5 April 2010

Senior Lecturer/Lecturer in Mathematics & Statistics

uksp_ch — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:23:21 +0000

Job Advert

http://work4.northumbria.ac.uk/hrvacs/cei0906

Senior Lecturer/Lecturer in Mathematics & Statistics

School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences

Northumbria University (at Newcastle)

Ref: CEI09/06

Salary: SL: £36,715 – £45,155; L: £31,671 – £35,646

You will be required to develop and deliver modules in Statistics and related areas of Mathematics at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and also initiate and carry out research and/or consultancy which will contribute directly to the School. Engagement in external activities to build collaboration with public and private organisations will also be required.

You must hold a good first degree in Mathematics, Statistics or a related area along with subject expertise in this area. You must also have experience of Mathematical research activity, including publications which will contribute to the research submissions of the School.

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Dr Colin Creasy on 0191 2274348 or Dr James McLaughlin (james.a.mclaughlin@northumbria.ac.uk).

If you would like to apply, please send your completed Application Form to staffcareers@northumbria.ac.uk.

Application forms can be found at:

http://work4.northumbria.ac.uk/hrvacs/cei0906

Closing date: 5 April 2010

Northumbria University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.

PhD Studentship at University of Reading

uksp_sec — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:13:15 +0000

From: Mathew Owens – m.owens@imperial.ac.uk

The Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading is pleased to invite applications for a 3-year NERC-funded PhD studentship in “Galactic cosmic rays, the Sun’s magnetic field and climate change”, supervised by Dr. Mathew Owens and Prof. Mike Lockwood.

The expected start date is October 2010. The departmental open day is March 10th, so anyone with a potential interest should e-mail Mathew Owens (m.owens@imperial.ac.uk) as soon as possible. Further details about funding and the application process can be found at http://www.met.reading.ac.uk/pg-research/pgropportunities.html

Galactic cosmic rays, the Sun’s magnetic field and climate change

Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) are extremely high energy particles which originate far outside our solar system and travel at almost the speed of light. The effects of these particles, and of the cascade of secondary particles that they produce in Earth’s atmosphere, have a number of known and postulated effects on Earth’s atmosphere, surface and lifeforms. The GCR flux incident on Earth’s atmosphere can be measured using space- or ground-based monitors. Such observations have shown that the Sun’s magnetic field (in what is termed the heliosphere) partially shields the inner solar system from energetic particles, allowing GCRs to be used as proxies for the solar magnetic field strength – and hence the Sun’s brightness – when direct measurements are not available. Prehistoric GCR fluxes are inferred from isotopic depositions in reservoirs such as ice cores, ocean sediments and tree trunks and are used in reconstruction of solar irradiance thousands of years in the past, vital for quantifying the role of solar variability in terrestrial climate change on centennial and millennial timescales. However, the justification of the use of these proxies is somewhat superficial and detailed studies of the heliospheric structure, how it shields Earth from GCRs, and how it relates to the changes in the solar photosphere are required. The student will undertake analysis and modelling of spacecraft and ground-based data to relate GCR shielding to solar magnetic activity and heliospheric structures, with an eventual goal of improving reconstruction of Sun’s irradiance for use in climate modelling.

Solar News Items of Interest

uksp_sec — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:32:43 +0000

Solar News Items of Interest

http://solarnews.nso.edu/2010/20100216.txt

Chromospheric synoptic magnetograms from SOLIS
Topical Issue (TI) of Solar Physics: The Sun–Earth Connectio near Solar Minimum: Placing it into Context
COSPAR 2010: Special Session on Solar Spectral Irradiance Variations and Their Influence on the Earth’s Atmosphere
SH08.: Solving the coronal heating riddle: recent developments and future directions
SORCE Meeting – Abstracts due Feb. 1
Tenure-Track Faculty Position at Boston University

EIS science nugget

uksp_sec — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:15:53 +0000

From: Lucie Green – lmg@mssl.ucl.ac.uk

EIS science nugget

UCL-MSSL is pleased to announce a new Hinode EIS science nugget.

The nugget looks at the science behind the widths of emission line profiles and how they can be used as a plasma diagnostic.

http://msslxr.mssl.ucl.ac.uk:8080/SolarB/eisnuggets.jsp

Next month’s nugget is entitled “Interchange reconnection along a coronal hole boundary”.

EIS nuggets are published on the 1st of every month and we welcome contributions from the community. Please contact Lucie Green if you are interested.

Space Tech 2010 – Space Technology Symposium

uksp_sec — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:12:18 +0000

From: Melanie.Illsley@stfc.ac.uk

Space Tech 2010 – Space Technology Symposium

10th March 2010
STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Harwell Science Innovation Campus

Updated programme

The Innovations Club and the ESA Technology Transfer Network is holding a Space Technology Symposium on the 10th March and invites you to register for this event. Registration details are below.

Our objective is to provide a forum that creates a unique opportunity for commercial companies to network and exploit advanced technologies developed by leading European research organisations in the space sector with applications addressing many market sectors.

The event will provide participants/delegates:

* An opportunity to discover the latest technologies from the space industry
* The chance to make direct contact with the UK?s leading technology groups
* Advice on how to use new technology to gain commercial competitive advantage
* Case study examples of successful transfers between academic know-how to industry
* The chance to network and identify potential business partners

This event offers a unique opportunity for commercial companies to exploit technologies developed for space and last year a similar showcase attracted 200 delegates and 40 exhibitors.

Further information about this exclusive event can be found here:
www.stfc.ac.uk/KE/Events/spacetech.aspx

Exhibit – last spaces going fast.

We are also offering you the opportunity to exhibit at this symposium of advanced technologies; please contact Innovationsclub@stfc.ac.uk

The last few exhibition spaces are avaliable for which there is a charge of £400 plus VAT for a 2m table with poster board and 2 chairs. Due to Health and Safety reasons we are unfortunately unable to allow electrical items on to stands.

Registration

TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK:
WWW.STFC.AC.UK/FORMS/INNOVATIONSCLUB.ASPX

SOLAR PHYSICS: POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER POSITION AT ARMAGH OBSERVATORY

uksp_sec — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:03:59 +0000

From: Gerry Doyle

SOLAR PHYSICS: POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER POSITION AT ARMAGH OBSERVATORY

A fixed-term Postdoctoral Researcher position tenable at the Armagh Observatory is available for up to 16 months from 2010 July 1 or as soon aspossible thereafter. The starting salary is 25,958 pounds with annual increments.

Applicants must have, or be about to obtain, a PhD in a relevant discipline.

Candidates must have expertise in solar physics, in particular the interpretation and/or modelling of small-scale solar transient features. Expertise in the use of data from different instruments and in particular their co-alignment is essential. The research will involve looking closely at various assumptions relating to spectral line formation and the use of
such data plus MHD modelling and magnetic field extrapolation data in the interpretation of the observational data. Full details of the position and the selection criteria are in the Job Information pack available from the Armagh Observatory web-site, http://star.arm.ac.uk/.

Enquiries and requests for further information may be made to Professor J. Gerry Doyle at the address below, or by e-mail to jgd@arm.ac.uk. For information about Armagh Observatory, see the web-site.

The initial closing date is 2010 April 16. Late applications may be considered until the position is filled. Applicants should obtain an application pack from the Administrator or from the Observatory web-site, and send the completed application form and a full curriculum vitae, statement of research interests, and complete bibliography to: The Administrator, Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh BT61 9DG, Northern Ireland (Tel: +44-(0)28-3752-2928; FAX: +44-(0)28-3752-7174; e-mail: lfy@arm.ac.uk). Candidates should arrange for references from two or three referees to be sent to the same address as early as possible to ensure full consideration of the application.

The Armagh Observatory is an equal opportunities employer.

Congratulations – Andrzej Fludra

uksp_sec — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:01:14 +0000

From: Lyndsay Fletcher – lyndsay@astro.gla.ac.uk

Congratulations to Andrzej Fludra on becoming Head of Solar Group at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Richard Harrison, who held this position previously, remains in the group but will be focusing on his roles as Division Head of Space Physics and as Chief Scientist in the Space Science and Technology Department at RAL.

PhD in Solar Physics – University of Central Lancashire

uksp_sec — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:58:58 +0000

From: Danielle Bewsher

PhD in Solar Physics

The Jeremiah Horrocks Institute at the University of Central Lancashire is pleased to announce the availability of several new STFC and University funded PhD studentships for intake in October 2010, some of which are available for Solar Physics projects.

If you know of any undergraduate students who may be interested in pursuing Solar Physics PhD projects (or other areas of astrophysics), please direct them to our online advert at

http://www.star.uclan.ac.uk/studentships/

for further details. Further questions can be directed to either

Danielle Bewsher – DBewsher@uclan.ac.uk
Daniel Brown – DSBrown@uclan.ac.uk

STFC Small Awards for public engagement

uksp_sec — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:56:14 +0000

From: Melanie.Illsley@stfc.ac.uk

STFC Small Awards for public engagement

STFC are pleased to announce a closing date of the 15th April 2010 for its Small Award Scheme for projects in public engagement. Further information, including the notes for guidance and application form can be found on the Science in Society section of the STFC website.

Funding limit – £10,000

It is anticipated that we will run a round of Large Awards for public engagement with a closing date of November 2010

Contact: Chris.woolford@stfc.ac.uk

New RHESSI Science Nugget

uksp_sec — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:53:32 +0000

From: Hugh Hudson – hhudson@ssl.berkeley.edu

New RHESSI Science Nugget

http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~tohban/wiki/index.php/Revisiting_the_SHH_and_SEP_Link

RHESSI confirms the statistical link between flare hard X-ray spectral evolution and the acceleration of solar energetic particles.

Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH) operation extension

uksp_sec — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:22:48 +0000

From: Valery Nakariakov V.Nakariakov@warwick.ac.uk

Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH) operation extension

It is officially approved and announced by the NAOJ Director General on Feb 9 that the operation of the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (Japan) is extended to five years, till March 2015. Observations of the Sun with NoRH in the microwave band are intensively used by several UK
research groups.

SolarNews Items of Interest – http://solarnews.nso.edu/2010/20100201.txt

uksp_sec — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:22:22 +0000

SolarNews Items of Interest

http://solarnews.nso.edu/2010/20100201.txt

The Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Coronal Image Database
New book in Asteroseismology
Call for papers: AOGS2010 session ST10 “Space weather and space climate: coupling processes from the Sun to the Earth”
Call for papers: COSPAR Session D23-E33 “Multi-Spacecraft Observations and
Modeling of CMEs and Stream Interaction Regions”
COSPAR SCIENTIFIC COMMISSION E (a message from N. Gehrels)
COSPAR Announcement : Event 22 : New Views of the Sun with SDO
SHINE Workshop 2010
Special SPD Session on ” What Irradiance Studies Tell Us About Solar Heat Transport and Magnetism”
IAU Symposium 273: Physics of Sun and Star Spots
Call for papers, 38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Event E21: The Challenge of the Hidden Scales in Solar Dynamic Phenomena
Postdoctoral Position at the Ruhr Universitaet Bochum within the SOLAIRE
Network

Topical Issue (TI) of Solar Physics — The Sun–Earth Connection near Solar Minimum: Placing it into Context.

uksp_sec — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:54:44 +0000

From: Mario Mark Bisi – Mario.Bisi@aber.ac.uk

Topical Issue (TI) of Solar Physics:

The Sun–Earth Connection near Solar Minimum: Placing it into Context

We solicit manuscripts on this general subject for inclusion in a Topical Issue (TI) of the journal Solar Physics that will be dedicated to the science of the Whole Heliosphere Interval (WHI) campaign (http://ihy2007.org/WHI/) and results related to WHI’s science priorities.

The editors request that statements of intent be received from all interested authors by Monday March 1, 2010. The statements should include (as close as possible to the anticipated publication): (i) title, (ii) abstract, (iii) author list, (iv) estimated number of Solar Physics pages, and (v) three suggestions for referees, preferably with E-Mail.

Completed papers should be submitted by Friday July 2, 2010, and the estimated publication date will be between December 2010 and February 2011. Manuscripts will appear online as they are accepted, and manuscripts that have not completed the refereeing and revision process by the cutoff for hardcopy publication of the Topical Issue will appear in a subsequent, regular issue of the journal. In order to respect all participants, we will push hard on referees to respect their deadlines and authors for revisions.

Criteria for Relevance to the Topic:

The Whole Heliosphere Interval (WHI) is an internationally coordinated observing and modeling effort to characterize the three-dimensional (3D) interconnected solar-heliospheric-planetary system – a.k.a. the “heliophysical” system. WHI observing campaigns began with the 3D solar structure from solar Carrington rotation (CR) 2068, which ran from March 20 – April 16, 2008. See http://ihy2007.org/WHI for more information.

This Topical Issue will include scientific results of the observations and the models that are used to interpret the WHI data, including all of the regimes that play a role in solar minimum
heliophysics. These regimes include:

– sub-photospheric structures,

– the solar photosphere, chromosphere, and corona,

– the inner and outer heliosphere,

– Earth’s magnetopause and bow shock,

– Earth’s radiation belts and plasmasphere, and

– The ionosphere, thermosphere and mesosphere.

Additionally, we are expecting contributions that are linked to or related to WHI but not necessarily centered on WHI observations themselves. The majority will be additional studies of the present, possibly “unusual”, solar minimum, and also how this minimum relates to past minima. However, because of the depth, length, and complexity of the current solar minimum, one solar rotation is not enough to characterize it! We have therefore identified two Carrington rotations that, along with WHI, may be considered to “span” the current extended solar minimum, these are CR2078 (17 Dec 2008 – 12 Jan 2009 when sunspots reached a 13-month minimum) and CR2085 (26 Jun – 22 Jul 2009 when solar-wind parameters were at their lowest, and which had continuous SOHO contact and solar eclipse
data/modeling. These rotations provide additional focus time periods that may enable intercomparison between analyses in the Topical Issue. The current-solar-minimum studies need not be limited only to the rotations mentioned here however.

In addition, for those who are not already part of the WHI Team and already subscribed to the WHI Mailing list (through which the majority of updates and communications will be made), we invite you and encourage you to do so (please see http://mailman.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/whi).

We remind you that the statement of intent (described above) deadline is 1 March 2010; this is essential for us to optimally match manuscripts with referees and to expedite the process. If, subsequent to submission of a statement of intent it appears that the manuscript is not coming together on schedule, please let us know so that we can adjust the attribution of referees.

Please E-Mail: whi.sola@gmail.com with your proposed:
(i) title;
(ii) abstract;
(iii) author list;
(iv) estimated number of Solar Physics pages;
(v) three suggestions for referees; and
(vi) name and E-Mail of corresponding author if not submitter!

Sincerely,

Mario M. Bisi (Mario.Bisi {at} aber.ac.uk)

Barbara Emery (emery {at} ucar.edu)

Barbara J. Thompson (Barbara.J.Thompson {at} nasa.gov)

(Solar Physics TI Guest Editors)

and

Lidia van Driel-Gesztelyi (Lidia.vanDriel {at} obspm.fr)

John Leibacher (john.leibacher {at} gmail.com)

(Solar Physics Editors)

New RHESSI Science Nugget

uksp_sec — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:20:16 +0000

From: Hugh Hudson hhudson@ssl.berkeley.edu

New RHESSI Science Nugget

http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~tohban/wiki/index.php/Two_phases_of_X-ray_emission_in_a_solar_eruptive_flare

This Nugget asks an important question – can the early non-thermal phase of a solar flare, as found in the RHESSI data, be explained by Somov’s “Rainbow Reconnection Model”?

STFC – call for nomination to Science Board, Committees and Peer Review Panels

uksp_sec — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:17:42 +0000

From: Lyndsay Fletcher

STFC – call for nomination to Science Board, Committees and Peer Review Panels

Dear all

I have been asked by STFC to make you aware that there is currently a call for nominations to their Science Board, Committees and Peer Review Panels. The deadline for this is Monday 22nd March 2010.

For full information about the vacancies and the nomination procedure, please see

http://www.stfc.ac.uk/About/Strat/Council/AdCom/CallforNoms2010.aspx

best wishes
Lyndsay

Sheffield Solar Physicists at Parliament

uksp_sec — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:15:23 +0000

From: Robertus von Fay-Siebenburgen

Sheffield Solar Physicists at Parliament

It is our pleasure to announce that a bid prepared by Sheffield solar physicists of SWAT/SP2RC (Solar WAve Theory Group, Solar Physics and Space Plasma Research Centre, Sheffield Univ) on the discovery of solar Transition Region Quakes have been selected, by SET for Britain on behalf of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, for presentation (8 March 2010) at the House of Commons Marquee to members of both Houses of Parliament at Westminster. The team involves Eamon Scullion, a joint postgraduate supervised by Profs Gerry Doyle -Armagh Observatory- and Robertus Erdelyi -SWAT/SP2RC and Dr Viktor Fedun (SWAT/SP2RC, SU).

Address Change: James McLaughlin

uksp_sec — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:10:39 +0000

From: James McLaughlin

Dear Colleagues,

Please note my change of institution and contact details to:

Dr James McLaughlin,
Room 101, Pandon Building,
School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences,
Northumbria University,
Newcastle Upon Tyne,
NE1 8ST

james.a.mclaughlin@northumbria.ac.uk

http://computing.unn.ac.uk/staff/rnwp2/

ASPIICS coronagraph selected by ESA for PROBA-3 mission

uksp_sec — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:58:37 +0000

From: Robertus Erdelyi – robertus@sheffield.ac.uk

ASPIICS coronagraph selected by ESA for PROBA-3 mission

It is a great pleasure to inform you that, in this hard funding climate, the ASPIICS coronagraph has been selected by ESA for the PROBA-3 mission (ASPIICS Principal Investigator: Philippe Lamy; UK scientists involved in the ASPIICS Team with Co-Investigator status: Robertus Erdelyi & Richard Harrison). More info later as it is received.

MIST statement on the STFC Prioritisation

uksp_sec — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:52:07 +0000

From: Lyndsay Fletcher – lyndsay@astro.gla.ac.uk

MIST statement on the STFC Prioritisation

www.mist.ac.uk

(Forwarded from Mike Hapgood)

MIST have released a statement on the STFC prioritisation. It is on the web at www.mist.ac.uk.

This was produced by MIST Council after consultation with senior members of the MIST community. Following that consultation it focuses on the future strategy for in-situ plasma measurements – how do we get from current UK strengths to future opportunities? – rather than details of present cuts.

Call for Proposals 2010 for International Teams in Space Science (incl. Geosciences)

uksp_sec — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:40:58 +0000

From: Maurizio Falanga – mfalanga@issibern.ch

Call for Proposals 2010 for International Teams in Space Science
(incl. Geosciences)

http://www.issibern.ch/spotlight/annualcall2010.pdf

International Space Science Institute (ISSI)

Announcement

The International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern, Switzerland, invites proposals for establishing International Teams to conduct on its premises research activities in Space Sciences, based on the interdisciplinary analysis and evaluation of data from spacecraft and possible integration with ground data and theoretical models. For the purpose of this Call, Space Sciences include the Solar and Heliospheric Physics, Solar-Terrestrial Sciences, Space Plasma and Magnetospheric Physics, Planetary Sciences, Astrobiology, Cosmology, Astrophysics, Fundamental Physics in Space, and Earth Sciences using Space data.

Letter of Intent: February 15, 2010

Deadline for proposals: March 31, 2010

The Call for International Teams proposal is available on the ISSI web site:

http://www.issibern.ch/spotlight/annualcall2010.pdf

Bern, January 18, 2010

Dr. Maurizio Falanga
Science Program Manager

International Space Science Institute (ISSI)
Hallerstrasse 6
CH-3012 Bern
Switzerland
Phone: +41-(0)316314893 -Fax: +41-(0)316314897
E-mail: mfalanga@issibern.ch

http://www.issibern.ch

RHESSI Science Nugget

uksp_sec — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:31:44 +0000

From: Hugh Hudson – hhudson@ssl.berkeley.edu

RHESSI Science Nugget

http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~tohban/wiki/index.php/Solar_Hard_X-ray_Albedo

“Solar Hard X-ray Albedo,’ by E. Schmahl and G. Hurford: the elusive hard X-ray albedo imaged directly at last!

SDO launch

uksp_sec — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:29:34 +0000

From: Stephane Regnier

SDO launch

Quick reminder that SDO will be launched on 9 Feb. 2010. For more information, see http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/

PhD Studentship in Solar Physics

uksp_sec — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:27:50 +0000

From: Mihalis Mathioudakis – M.Mathioudakis@qub.ac.uk

PhD Studentship in Solar Physics

Studentship Advert

https://habu.pst.qub.ac.uk/groups/joiningarc/wiki/3c6b1/PhD_studentships.html

A PhD studentship in Solar Physics is available at Queens University Belfast. Interested applicants are requested to email Mihalis Mathioudakis for more information.

Launch of EIS nuggets

uksp_sec — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:25:44 +0000

From: Lucie Green – lmg@mssl.ucl.ac.uk

http://msslxr.mssl.ucl.ac.uk:8080/SolarB/eisnuggets.jsp

UCL-MSSL is pleased to announce the launch of Hinode EIS science nuggets. The nuggets are intended to give a brief overview of research highlights and the use of EIS data.

The inaugural nugget looks at the newly created EIS flare catalogue. The catalogue allows users to easily search, view and download EIS observations within a time range of 8 hours before and after the flare starts. Corresponding XRT and SOT data are also available as is a movie demonstrating the easy use of the catalogue.

http://msslxr.mssl.ucl.ac.uk:8080/SolarB/eisnuggets.jsp

Next month’s nugget is entitled “The Weird and Wonderful World of Widths”.

EIS nuggets are published on the 1st of every month and we welcome contributions from the community. Please contact Lucie Green lmg atsymbol mssl dot ucl dot ac dot uk.

SPD Solarnews Items of Interest

uksp_sec — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 09:12:43 +0000

Solarnews Items of Interest

http://solarnews.nso.edu/2010/20100101.txt

REU Site Program in Solar and Space Physics: Now Accepting Applications
2010 SORCE Science Meeting — Call for Abstracts
Postdoctoral Positions in Solar Physics, NWRA/CoRA Division

STFC/BNSC call for nominations for the position of Chair of the Space Science Advisory Committee and ESA Science Programme Committee Advisor.

uksp_sec — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 09:01:08 +0000

From: Gemma Hall

STFC/BNSC call for nominations for the position of Chair of the Space Science Advisory Committee and ESA Science Programme Committee Advisor.

Closing date 8th February 2010

The position of the Chair of the Space Science Advisory Committee (SSAC) and ESA Science Programme Committee (SPC) Advisor will become vacant on 1st April 2010. STFC and the BNSC are seeking applications from members of the UK astronomy space programme for this appointment.

Position Specification
The successful candidate will:

1. Chair the Space Science Advisory Committee (SSAC) meetings. SSAC is one of the BNSC programme advisory Boards.

2. Represent SSAC interests at other cross-community advisory committees of BNSC. In particular, provide advice on space science issues to the BNSC European Union Advisory Board (EUAB) and attend when necessary. Attendance may also be requested at ad hoc STFC or BNSC meetings.

3. As Chair of the SSAC the post holder will be expected to assist the Committee in complying with its Terms of Reference, which are as follows:

1. The Committee will meet at least three times a year i.e. before each ESA Science Programme Committee meeting and will:

1.1 brief the UK delegates on the ESA Science Programme Committee and subsidiary committees, taking due regard of the policies set by BIS and STFC;

1.2 provide advice the Director General BNSC, and STFC?s PPAN on national and international aspects of space science policy, strategy and programme requirements as requested.

1.3 identify significant near, medium and long term opportunities to develop and exploit the UK?s technology base for space science and secure the collaboration between government, industry and academia needed to capitalise on these opportunities for the UK.

4. Attendance at the ESA Science Programme Committee (SPC) meetings as a UK advisor with strong scientific standing. The SPC usually meets three times per annum, but may call extraordinary and ad hoc meetings as required. The UK delegates present the STFC/BNSC view on ESA programmatic issues in line with the briefing material.

5. Remuneration will be in accordance with http://www.stfc.ac.uk/About/Struc/Council/honallowances.aspx

6. The appointment will be for three years from 1st April 2010.

Selection procedure

The selection will be made in accordance with the criteria set out at

http://www.stfc.ac.uk/SciProg/Plan/Plandocs/NomsProcessWeb3htm.aspx

Interviews are taking place in order to complete the selection procedure.

SSAC Chair/SPC Delegate Person Specification
Required strengths:

- The ability to take a broad overview and to summarise a consensus of opinions

- Familiarity with the space science programme in Europe and internationally

- Awareness of issues within the European space programme

- Good standing within the space science community and the ability to represent it

- The ability to employ diplomacy as required

STFC will seek the best members possible for its advisory bodies but also seeks to ensure that membership reflects the diversity within the relevant research communities and encourages equality with regard to gender, race and disability.

Applications should be a maximum of 2 pages in length and should include the following:

- the applicants area(s) of science expertise and current activity,

- appropriate qualities including academic/industrial background knowledge of the subject area and the SSAC,

- experience of serving on committees, particularly those related to the Research Councils,

- justification of applicant?s suitability for the position

- any possible conflicts of interest

Applications should include contact details together with details of current position and seniority.

Interviews will take place with Professor Keith Mason and Dr Chris Castelli on 3rd March 2010.

Please send your application to chris.castelli@stfc.ac.uk and rosemary.young@stfc.ac.uk by Monday 8th February 2010 at the latest.

For further information please contact Dr Chris Castelli chris.castelli@stfc.ac.uk
Tel: 01793 442191

Research Assistant Position – University of St Andrews

uksp_sec — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:44:37 +0000

From: Thomas Neukirch – thomas@mcs.st-and.ac.uk

Research Assistant Position

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/employment/Code,46009,en.html

Research Assistant (SK109/10)

Closing date: 04 February 2010

?24,152 per annum

The Solar and Magnetospheric Theory Group has an opening for a Research Assistant to work on the project “Equilibrium and Dynamics of Collisionless Current Sheets”. The project is led by Dr T Neukirch and funded by the Leverhulme Trust. You will use mainly established analytical and numerical methods. Experience with running and analysing large-scale numerical simulations on parallel computers is highly desirable. You should have recently completed or expect to obtain shortly a PhD in theoretical plasma physics or a closely related subject.

This post is fixed term for a period of 3 years and is available from 1 March 2010, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Informal enquiries to Dr Thomas Neukirch, Tel: 01334 463713 or email: thomas@mcs.st-and.ac.uk

The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland (No SC013532)

RAS Council Nominations

uksp_sec — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:31:44 +0000

From: UKSP Council

The UKSP council strongly recommends that members of the community consider standing for the RAS Council. This is extremely important inorder that the UKSP community continues to be represented within the RAS.

The deadline for nominations to be received is 5 February 2010 and the nomination form can be downloaded at,

http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1689&Itemid=1

UKSP Council

Congratulations to UKSPers at the RAS awards

uksp_sec — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:18:34 +0000

From: Editors

Congratulations to the following members of the UK Solar Physics community for their achievements, which have been recognised in the RAS 2010 awards.

Gold Medal for Astronomy – Professor Douglas Gough
Chapman medal – Professor Bernie Roberts
Fowler Prize for Geophysics – Dr. Ineke de Moortel
Group Achievement Award for Geophysics – CHIANTI consortium

Very well done to everyone!

The Editors

UCLan funded Postdoctoral Research Assistant (Solar Physics) – two year limited term position

uksp_sec — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:26:11 +0000

UCLan funded Postdoctoral Research Assistant (Solar Physics) – two year limited term position

Jeremiah Horrocks Institute,
School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences,
University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK

Salary – up to ?27,999

Applications are invited for a two-year UCLan-funded Postdoctoral Research Assistant post to undertake research in Solar Physics with Dr Robert Walsh.

The project involves collaborative and individual research in the area of Solar Physics with
particular emphasis on coronal physics. The position will involve analysing appropriate datasets from SDO with complementary observations from SOHO, Hinode and STEREO satellite missions as well as providing support in the running and maintenance of the UCLan NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Datahub Project in collaboration with the other solar group members and datahub manager.

Candidates should have at least three years’ experience in Solar Physics (at PhD level of
above), and should hold a BSc and a PhD (awarded or imminent) in an appropriate subject. Experience in analysing multi-instrument, multi-wavelength solar observing campaigns and in related software (IDL, Solarsoft) is essential. Also a familiarity with databases would be an advantage but not essential.

An application form and further details are available at www.uclan.ac.uk/jobs

Alternatively, for an application package phone Human Resources (Personnel) during office hours on +44 (0)1772 892324, or fax on +44(0)1772 892933. Quote the reference number 403A-27-11.

It is requested that the completed application form, together with a full curriculum vitae
and bibliography along with references from two referees arrive by the initial closing date of 29th January 2010. References should be emailed or sent directly to Dr. Robert Walsh
- rwwalsh@uclan.ac.uk ; phone +44 (0)1772 894282; fax +44 (0)1772 894988.

Application form, CV and bibliography should be sent to Human Resources humanresources@uclan.ac.uk or postal address as below:

University of Central Lancashire
Human Resources
Fylde Building
Preston
Lancashire, UK
PR1 2HE

For general information on the University and the School visit www.uclan.ac.uk and www.star.uclan.ac.uk . For further information and informal enquires, please contact Dr Walsh.

It is planned that interviews will be held during February 2010 although this will be confirmed with the interviewees.

Commencing date for the post is negotiable but the successful candidate should be willing to start as soon as possible.

The School is located on the University’s main campus, on a pleasant site near the centre of Preston, England?s newest city. Immediately outside the town is the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; whilst the Lake District, Peak District and the Yorkshire
Dales are each only an hour away. Preston has excellent communications by rail and motorway with the rest of the country; London, Edinburgh and Glasgow are all less than three hours away by direct train. Preston has excellent parks and green spaces for outdoor activities, a plethora of pubs and clubs and a vibrant city centre only a few minutes walk from the University. There are abundant cultural events, both in Preston itself, and in nearby Manchester.

The Jeremiah Horrock Institute astrophysics? research areas include: solar physics, solar-terrestrial physics, stellar and galactic astrophysics, extragalactic astronomy and observational cosmology.

Reference number: 403A-27-11
Closing date: 29th January 2010

New RHESSI Science Nugget

uksp_ch — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:21:43 +0000

This is to announce a new RHESSI Science Nugget, “Cycle 24 has begun,” by Hugh Hudson.

Activity has increased sufficiently to state that we have left the doldrums at last.

Please see this Nugget at http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~tohban/wiki/index.php/Cycle_24_has_begun.

Older Nuggets are available at http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~tohban/wiki/index.php/RHESSI_Science_Nuggets (new series), and http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~tohban/nuggets/ (first series).

We publish these at roughly two-week intervals and welcome contributions, which should be at least loosely related to RHESSI science.

Steven Christe

Hugh Hudson

RAS Thesis Prizes

uksp_ch — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:26:44 +0000

RAS THESIS PRIZES

The RAS awards 2 prizes annually: the Michael Penston and Keith Runcorn Prizes respectively for the best doctoral theses in astronomy/astrophysics and solar-system sciences/geophysics. Each prize, of £1000, is sponsored by Wiley-Blackwell and is administered by the RAS Higher Education Committee. Where appropriate, runners up are also recognized.

For more information see:

Michael Penston Prize: http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=35

Keith Runcorn Prize: http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=36

The award is open to students of all nationalities registered at Universities in the United Kingdom and is not restricted to Fellows of the RAS.

The winner of the prize, normally, will be invited to give a short presentation on their thesis to an Ordinary Meeting of the Society.

Nominations for this year’s award are now invited and must be received by the Executive Secretary by 31st January 2010.

New RHESSI Science Nugget

uksp_ch — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:40:09 +0000

This is to announce a new RHESSI Science Nugget, “Relative and (maybe)

Absolute RHESSI Detector Efficiency: 2002-2008″, by Jim McTiernan.

The thousands of flares observed by RHESSI are used to intercalibrate its nine detectors, and we also use the standard GOES soft X-ray data as an external reference.

Please see

http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~tohban/wiki/index.php/Relative_and_(maybe)_Absolute_RHESSI_Detector_Efficiency:_2002-2008

We publish these at roughly two-week intervals and welcome contributions.

Steven Christe

Hugh Hudson

Solar News Items of Interest – Dec 15th 2009

uksp_sec — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:35:30 +0000

Solar News Items of Interest

http://solarnews.nso.edu/2009/20091215.txt

Wolfgang Otruba passed away
UNH Faculty Position in Suborbital Space Physics / Astrophysics
Solar Dynamics Observatory Support Scientist
Director at the Max Planck Institute of Solar System Research and Professor
at the University of Goettingen

UKSP NewsLetter – No 1st January Issue.

uksp_sec — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:14:59 +0000

From: Duncan Mackay

There will be no UKSP Newsletter sent out on the 1st January 2010. The date of
the next newsletter will be 15th January 1010.

Duncan Mackay

PostDoc Positions in Solar Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Germany

uksp_sec — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:11:35 +0000

From: Johannes Stecker – stecker@mps.mpg.de

PostDoc Positions in Solar Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Germany

http://www.mps.mpg.de

The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) invites applications for two PostDoc positions in solar physics and related astrophysical research. One of the positions is dedicated for research on the topic of solar irradiance variability. The research focus of the other position is not specified, but is expected to be related to the current research topics of the MPS Solar Department.

The Solar Department at the MPS has leading participations in high-profile solar space missions, is involved in several ground-based observational programs and provides outstanding opportunities for theoretical and numerical work. The research fields include dynamo processes, solar variability and climate, photospheric magnetic fields, physics of the chromosphere, corona and solar wind, as well as stellar magnetism.

The institute is located in Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, in the close vicinity of Goettingen, a lively and scenic University town.

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in physics with focus on solar physics, astronomy, astrophysics, or a closely related field. They should have an outstanding research record and relevant experience in solar instrumentation, data analysis, or theory/numerical modeling.

Review of applications will begin February 1st, 2010 and continue until the positions are filled. The positions are offered initially for a period of one year and may be extended by up to two more years depending on performance. The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from women and disabled persons.

Applications, including a CV, a statement of research interests and plans, a publication list, copies of up to three relevant publications, and contact information of three potential referees should be sent to

Prof. Sami K. Solanki, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Max-Planck-Str. 2, D-37191 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany
or to solanki-office@mps.mpg.de

For further information please contact Sami.K. Solanki (solanki@mps.mpg.de) or Johannes Stecker (stecker@mps.mpg.de).

Living Reviews in Solar Physics: 5 Years Online

uksp_sec — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:59:30 +0000

From: Frank Schulz editorlr@aei.mpg.de

Living Reviews in Solar Physics: 5 Years Online

http://solarphysics.livingreviews.org/

The journal Living Reviews in Solar Physics happily celebrates its 5th anniversary in 2009! We would like to thank our readers and authors for their interest and support.

On 14 December 2009, we have published an update of the review “Magnetic Fields in the Solar Convection Zone” by Yuhong Fan.

This publication perfectly demonstrates the concept of our ‘living’ reviews: The original article of 2004 was revised in February 2007 by adding a few recent studies and results. Now, a major revision updates this review by adding 55 references, new figures and movies, and substantially rewritten sections.

The Living Reviews Reference Database currently contains metadata from more than 5,400 records cited in our articles.

STFC prioritisation exercise

uksp_sec — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:47:33 +0000

The results of the STFC prioritisation exercise for 2010-2015 have been announced, see http://www.scitech.ac.uk/PMC/PRel/STFC/CouncilNews161209.aspx

Our community will clearly be affected by the cuts to Fellowships and Studentships, which we deeply regret. We also wait to hear what the ‘managed withdrawals’ from prized facilities SOHO and ROSA will mean for us. But we are pleased to see that the high priority of UK solar physics overall is reflected in continued support for Hinode and STEREO, and for Solar Orbiter R&D.

A further Government announcement with implications for the future structure of STFC is to be found here:
http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=409672&SubjectId=2

New RHESSI Science Nugget

uksp_ch — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:17:53 +0000

This is to announce a new RHESSI Science Nugget, “A Tiny White-Light Flare”, by Hugh Hudson.

A faint white-light flare serves as a model for the continuous energy distribution of the impulsive phase

Please see http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~tohban/wiki/index.php/A_tiny_white-light_flare

We publish these at roughly two-week intervals and welcome contributions.

Steven Christe

Hugh Hudson

STFC DIARY OF FORTHCOMING EVENTS

uksp_sec — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:52:50 +0000

From: Melanie.Illsley@stfc.ac.uk

DIARY OF FORTHCOMING EVENTS

1 December – IPS (Innovations Partnership Scheme) Panel Meeting, Institute of Physics, London
STFC contact : Sue.Fuller@stfc.ac.uk

1 December – Advanced LIGO Oversight Committee meeting, Polaris House, Swindon
STFC contact : Deborah.Miller@stfc.ac.uk

1 December – Cosmic Vision M-Class missions presentation event 2009, Institut Oceanographique, Paris
STFC contacts : Chris.castelli@stfc.ac.uk and Rosemary.Young@stfc.ac.uk

1 – 4 December – EMMA (Electron Machine with Many Applications) Commissioning Workshop, Daresbury Laboratory
STFC contact : Sue.Waller@stfc.ac.uk

2 December – Small Awards in Public Engagement Judges meeting, Institute of Physics, London
STFC contact : Chris.Woolford@stfc.ac.uk

2 December – ISIC Project Board (International Space Innovation Committee), London
STFC contact : Sharon.Bonfield@stfc.ac.uk

2 – 3 December – ISIS Facility Access Panels
STFC contact : Uschi.Steigenberger@stfc.ac.uk

4 December – Executive Board, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot
STFC contact : Sharon.bonfield@stfc.ac.uk

4 December – ISIS User Committee
STFC contact : Uschi.steigenberger@stfc.ac.uk

7 December – T2K Oversight Committee meeting, Polaris House, Swindon
STFC contact : Rachel.Boning@stfc.ac.uk

7 – 8 December – Science Board, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot
Chair : Professor Jenny Thomas, jthomas@hep.ucl.ac.uk
STFC : Victoria.Wright@stfc.ac.uk

8 – 9 December – JCMT (James Clerk Maxwell Telescope) Board, Hilo, Hawaii
STFC contact : Michelle.Cooper@stfc.ac.uk

9 December – RCUK EG (Research Councils- Executive Group), Polaris House, Swindon
STFC contact : Linda.Enderby@stfc.ac.uk

9 December – UKCC (United Kingdom Committee on CERN), DIUS, London
STFC contact : Charlotte.Jamieson@stfc.ac.uk

10 December – 5th Appleton Laboratory Space Conference, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot
STFC contact : Richard.Holdaway@stfc.ac.uk

14 December – Eureca Visiting Panel, Denys Wilkinson Building, Oxford University
Chair : Craig Buttar, c.buttar@physics.gla.ac.uk
STFC contact : Tahmina Aziz, tahmina.aziz@stfc.ac.uk

15 December – Atlas Upgrade Visiting Panel, University College London
Chair : Peter Jones, p.g.jones@bham.ac.uk
STFC contact : Tahmina Aziz, tahmina.aziz@stfc.ac.uk

16 December – CERN Finance Committee, CERN, Geneva
STFC contact : Charlotte.Jamieson@stfc.ac.uk

January – Advisory Panel for Science in Society, Venue TBC,
STFC contact : Chris.Woolford@stfc.ac.uk

7 – 9 January – National Science Teachers Meeting (The ASE), University of Nottingham
STFC contact : Chris.Woolford@stfc.ac.uk

11 January – Lux Zeplin Visiting Panel, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London
Chair : Craig Buttar, c.buttar@physics.gla.ac.uk
STFC contact : Sharmila Banerjee sharmila.banerjee@stfc.ac.uk

13 January – Executive Board, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot
STFC contact : Sharon.bonfield@stfc.ac.uk

13 – 14 January – Advanced and Postdoctoral Fellowships Sift Meeting, Polaris House, Swindon
Chair : Professor J Hough, j.hough@physics.gla.ac.uk
STFC contact : Steve.Cann@stfc.ac.uk

14 January – ISIC Project Board (International Space Innovation Committee), Polaris House, Swindon
STFC contact : Sharon.Bonfield@stfc.ac.uk

14 – 15 January – PALS (Physical and Life Sciences Committee) location to be advised Chair : Professor Steven Rose
STFC contact : Jenny.Hiscock@stfc.ac.uk

18 January – MICE UKNF (Muon Ionisation Cooling Experiment United Kingdom Neutrino Factory) Oversight Committee, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot
STFC contact : Charlotte.Jamieson@stfc.ac.uk

20 January – RCUK EG (Research Councils- Executive Group), Polaris House, Swindon
STFC contact : Linda.Enderby@stfc.ac.uk

20 January – PANDA Oversight Committee (AntiProton Annilation at Darmstadt), Polaris House, Swindon
STFC contact : Katharine.Schofield@stfc.ac.uk

20 – 21 January – PPRP (Projects Peer Review Panel), Kings Manor, University of York
Chair : Peter Jones, p.g.jones@bham.ac.uk
STFC contact : Sharmila.Banerjee@stfc.ac.uk

25 January – ATLAS Upgrade Visiting Panel, University College, London
Chair : Peter Jones, p.g.jones@bham.ac.uk
STFC contact : Sharmila.Banerjee@stfc.ac.uk

26 January – STFC Council meeting, venue to be confirmed
STFC contact : Ruth.Jeans@stfc.ac.uk

26 January – ISL (Inverse Square Law) Oversight Committee, Polaris House, Swindon
STFC contact : Deborah.Miller@stfc.ac.uk

27 – 28 January – Postdoctoral Fellowship Interviews, Lydiard House Conference Centre, Swindon Chair : Professor J Hough, j.hough@physics.gla.ac.uk
STFC contact : Steve.Cann@stfc.ac.uk

28 January – Healthcare Technology Forum, University Hospital, Birmingham
STFC contact : Major.Chahal@stfc.ac.uk

1 February – Liverpool Telescope Oversight Committee, Liverpool John Moores University
STFC contact : Michelle.Cooper@stfc.ac.uk

3 – 4 February – Advanced Fellowship Interviews, Lydiard House Conference Centre
Chair : Professor J Hough, j.hough@physics.gla.ac.uk
STFC contact : Steve.Cann@stfc.ac.uk

4 February – GridPP Oversight Committee, Medical Research Council, London
Chair : Professor Jonathan Flynn, jflynn@phys.soton.ac.uk
STFC contact : Trish.Mullins@stfc.ac.uk

8 February – Executive Board, Polaris House, Swindon
STFC contact : Sharon.Bonfield@stfc.ac.uk

10 – 11 February – 1st Vacuum Symposium UK, Cockcroft Institute
STFC Contact : Sue.Waller@stfc.ac.uk

10 – 11 February – Science Board meeting, Polaris House, Swindon
Chair : Jenny Thomas, jthomas@hep.ucl.ac.uk
STFC contact : Victoria.Wright@stfc.ac.uk

15 – 16 February – ESA HME EUB (European Space Agency Human Space Flight & Exploration Programme, Exploration Utilisation Board)
STFC contact : Sue.Horne@stfc.ac.uk

17 February – RCUK EG (Research Councils- UK Executive Group), Polaris House, Swindon
STFC contact : Linda.Enderby@stfc.ac.uk

23 February – STFC Council meeting, venue to be confirmed
STFC contact : Ruth.Jeans@stfc.ac.uk

24 February – AurAC (Aurora Advisory Committee), London
STFC contacts : Sue.Horne@stfc.ac.uk and Lindsay.Dannatt@stfc.ac.uk

25 February – Agata (Advanced Gamma Tracking Array), Polaris House, Swindon
STFC contact : Katharine.Schofield@stfc.ac.uk

26 February – ISIC Project Board (International Space Innovation Committee), Rutherford Appleton Laboratory,Didcot
STFC contact : Sharon.Bonfield@stfc.ac.uk

STFC Science in Society Fellowships 2010

uksp_sec — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:49:18 +0000

From: Melanie.Illsley@stfc.ac.uk

STFC Science in Society Fellowships 2010

STFC announces the 2010 round of the Science in Society Fellowship Scheme, whose aim is to contribute to STFC?s Science in Society Programme by investing in good communicators with research credibility. They will act as champions or ambassadors for STFC?s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (?STEM?) work to the media, public audiences, or schools.

The Fellowships are aimed at those with significant research experience who also have a track record in public engagement or communications work. The fellowships recognise and reward current practitioners and enable them to expand the work they do in public engagement.

Fellowships buy time for additional or extended communication activities which will have a significant national or regional impact.

Both STFC grant-funded researchers and users of STFC facilities are eligible to apply. Facility users would champion generic facility programmes, for example the use of neutron, muon or light sources to study materials; lasers; high performace computing; e-science, etc.

Closing Date: Tuesday 2nd March 2010 at 16:00

For further details, Notes for Guidance and links to the application forms on the Je-S system go to http://www.stfc.ac.uk/Grants/Fells/SandS/contents.aspx

AAS/SPD Items of Interest

uksp_sec — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:45:41 +0000

AAS/SPD Items of Interest

http://solarnews.nso.edu/2009/20091123.txt

Meetings, Conferences and Workshops

AU Symposium “Advances in Plasma Astrophysics”

Employment Opportunities

Postdoctoral Position in Solar Physics at Astrophysical Institute Potsdam
Postdoctoral Fellowships at NAOJ/Hinode project

Faculty Positions at IISER Pune, India

uksp_sec — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:27:20 +0000

From: Prasad Subramanian p.subramanian@iiserpune.ac.in

http://www.iiserpune.ac.in/Inside%20Pages/Faculty%20Positions.htm

The Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) Pune has been set up by the Government of India at par with the IITs and IISc Bangalore. The Government of India has generously invested in IISER to set up state-of-the-art research facilities in all branches of science (physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology) and to promote interdisciplinary areas of research. IISER Pune pursues full-fledged research not only at the institute and but also in a network arrangement with other internationally reputed research institutions. IISER Pune invites applications for faculty positions from Indian nationals possessing excellent academic records and research experience. For further details, please visit

http://www.iiserpune.ac.in/Inside%20Pages/Faculty%20Positions.htm

Postdoctoral position @ IISER Pune, India

uksp_sec — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:24:38 +0000

From: Prasad Subramanian – p.subramanian@iiserpune.ac.in

http://www.iiserpune.ac.in/~p.subramanian

The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India, invites applications for a postdoctoral research associate position in Solar Physics. The successful applicant should have a PhD in physics/astrophysics, and be interested in plasma astrophysics/solar physics. (S)he will work with Dr Prasad Subramanian in the general area of the propagation and terrestrial effects of solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

The work will involve a combination of theory and analysis of data from sources like SOHO and the GRAPES-3 cosmic ray telescope. MHD and/or particle plasma simulations are also a possibility.

This position is funded through a RESPOND grant from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The initial appointment will be for two years, with a performance review at the end of the first year. The stipend will be as per ISRO norms.

Interested candidates may send a CV, a publication list, a short statement of research interests and names and contact details of 3 referees who are familiar with the candidate’s work to Dr Prasad Subramanian (p.subramanian@iiserpune.ac.in). Further information about IISER Pune may be obtained at http://www.iiserpune.ac.in

The first round of applications will be scrutinized by January 15 2010.

A&G reader survey

uksp_sec — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:11:30 +0000

From: Ronald Wiltshire

Dear Colleagues

‘A&G is fantastic! It goes straight into the waste bin! Its got too much news and too little science! I wish it carried more stories about the RAS! ‘

Whatever your views we want to hear them. Please tell us by completing the very short on-line survey at http://tinyurl.com/n7tnjz (and be entered into a prize winning draw). Your views matter and will shape the development of YOUR journal. Please note the deadline for completing the survey – 31 December 2009.

PS The draw,on13 January 2010, will land the lucky winner with 4 recent books: ‘Eyes on the Skies: 400 Years of Telescopic Discovery’; ‘Hidden Universe’; ‘ Time: From Earth Rotation to Atomic Physics’ and ‘ From First Light to Reionization: The End of the Dark Ages’.

David Elliott

Executive Secretary

Royal Astronomical Society

Burlington House

Piccadilly

London W1J 0BQ

PhD project in Space and Solar Plasma Physics

uksp_sec — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:08:22 +0000

Studentship Advert

Applications are invited for a SEPnet funded (South-East Physics network, http://www.sepnet.ac.uk/) PhD Studentship within the Astronomy Unit, School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

The project is related to exciting, major unsolved problems of solar physics such as coronal heating http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/mysteries_l1/corona.html and solar flare dynamics. Type III radio bursts are believed to come from solar flare electrons that travel upwards, away from the Sun, on open magnetic field lines. The proposed work aims to fill the gap in understanding how the upwards moving electrons are accelerated and produce the observed radio emission. This will be achieved through kinetic-scale modelling of the phenomenon and numerical simulation results will be compared with radio and other wavelength observations. The project benefits from access to large-scale parallel 1000 core processor cluster via UKMHD consortium, while the radio data will be available via participation of QMUL in LOFAR-UK and SEPnet Astro consortia (http://astro.kent.ac.uk/SEPNET/). The LOw Frequency ARray, LOFAR (http://www.lofar-uk.org/), is a next-generation software-driven telescope currently under construction in the Netherlands and UK.

Dr David Tsiklauri, Senior Lecturer at Astronomy Unit, QMUL and will be the PhD project supervisor, while Dr Aris Karastergiou, Astrophysics, Oxford University, will act in a co-supervisory capacity.

Applicants should have a good Honours degree in Physics or Applied Mathematics (at least 2:1 or equivalent) or a lower second class plus a Master’s (MPhys) qualification. Programming experience in any high level language is highly desirable.

Candidates will receive full fees and tax free stipend of circa ?13,000 per annum for three years.

Candidates should send their CV and names (with contact details) of two referees by Email to: D.Tsiklauri -at- qmul.ac.uk

The applications should be submitted as soon as possible, but no later than 15 January 2010.

Starting date will be soon after the deadline and is negotiable.

For further information, please visit URL links below:

Dr David Tsiklauri’s webpage — http://www.maths.qmul.ac.uk/~tsiklauri/
Astronomy Unit — http://www.maths.qmul.ac.uk/Astronomy/
Queen Mary University of London — http://www.qmul.ac.uk/

Funding Notes
In addition to UK and EU students, non-UK or non-EU ones (worldwide) are also eligible to receive tuition fee waiver and a full stipend

NUAP questionnaire and updated strategy

uksp_sec — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:02:42 +0000

From: Lyndsay Fletcher

Dear colleagues

I have been asked by STFC to forward you this email on behalf of NUAP

best wishes
Lyndsay

*************************************************

Dear All,

Thank you for your responses to the most recent NUAP questionnaire. NUAP has updated the strategy document as a result of this input and has sent this onto PPAN; please see

http://www.scitech.ac.uk/About/Strat/Council/AdCom/nuap.aspx .

On 30th November NUAP will make a presentation to PPAN on this update, and the presentation will be made available to the community.

Best regards

Michele Dougherty and NUAP

Junior Research Fellowship – Merton College Oxford

uksp_sec — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:53:45 +0000

From: Alexander Schekochihin – a.schekochihin1@physics.ox.ac.uk

http://www.merton.ox.ac.uk/vacancies/index.shtml

Merton College Oxford has advertised a Junior Research Fellowship in plasma physics/magnetic confinement fusion. It is open to applicants both from within the field AND FROM PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS GENERALLY.

The link to the advert is here:
http://www.merton.ox.ac.uk/vacancies/index.shtml

(scroll down to “Culham Junior Research Fellowship in Physics…”)

An important point to stress is that those who have done their PhD in AREAS OTHER THAN PLASMA PHYSICS but wish to switch to fusion research can apply: the criterion will be outstanding quality of people’s previous work, not necessarily specific expertise in plasmas.

ROSA availability

uksp_sec — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:48:16 +0000

From: Mihalis Mathioudakis – M.Mathioudakis@qub.ac.uk

http://star.pst.qub.ac.uk/rosa

The Solar Group at Queens University Belfast (QUB) and the National Solar Observatory (NSO) would like to announce the availability of the Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) instrument to the UK Solar Physics community. ROSA is a 6-camera high cadence imaging system and is available at the Dunn Solar Telescope at the National Solar Observatory in New Mexico USA. QUB can provide observing support and access to a data reduction pipeline to UK proposers.

Access to the telescope and instrument is provided through the NSO TAC.

More information on the instrument are provided in the link below:

http://star.pst.qub.ac.uk/rosa/

Proposal submission process and deadlines : http://www.nso.edu

For more information please contact: M.MATHIOUDAKIS@QUB.AC.UK or D.JESS@QUB.AC.UK