Dr Nicolas Labrosse

Photo of Nic Labrosse

Senior Lecturer (Physics and Astronomy)

These days…

Departmental responsibilities

Among various bits and pieces, I co-chair the Astronomy & Physics Education group.
In September 2020 I launched a mentoring scheme for Physics & Astronomy students: PANDA. Get in touch if you’d like to know more about any of this.

Teaching

Current teaching responsibilities include:

  • Cosmology I (Astronomy 345)
  • Heliophysics and Stellar Atmospheres II (Astronomy 345)
  • Stellar Structure and Evolution I (Astronomy 345)
  • The Sun’s Atmosphere (Taught Masters and SUPA Postgraduate Research Students)

Research

Education

I am passionate about learning and teaching in higher education, supporting our students, and working with them to build an environment enabling all of us to flourish as individuals. I have a strong interest in educational research, particularly on assessment and feedback, student identity, student belonging, transitions and student engagement. Read more about it here.

Solar Physics

My research interests are in understanding complex processes in the Sun’s atmosphere which affect Space Weather, using radiative transfer modelling, spectral diagnostics, and image processing techniques. I am particularly interested in solar prominences (particularly spectroscopic diagnostics and radiative transfer models) and in solar flares (particularly observations and models of the chromosphere in flares).

Publications

A list of publications can be consulted on this site, as well as on ADS. Some of my publications are also available on arxiv (including publications in educational research). Check out my ResearcherID profile for another way of looking at the same piece of information.

PhD students supervised

  • Yong Zhang (1st supervisor, October 2022)
  • Poppy Bennetts (1st supervisor, October 2022)
  • Ahmad Alharbi (1st supervisor, October 2019-)
  • Aaron Peat (1st supervisor, October 2018-September 2022)
  • David Millar (2nd supervisor, October 2018-September 2022)
  • John Armstrong (2nd supervisor, October 2017-September 2021)
  • Andrew Rodger (1st supervisor, October 2015-September 2019)
  • Stephen Brown (2nd supervisor, October 2014 – September 2018)
  • Peter Levens (1st supervisor, October 2013 – September 2017)
  • Graham Kerr (2nd supervisor, October 2012 – September 2016)
  • Gerrard Brown (1st supervisor, October 2011 – September 2015)

Research assistants

Professional bodies

I am currently a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and Senior Fellow of the University of Glasgow’s Recognising Excellence in Teaching scheme. I am also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, and Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Other responsibilities

Since August 2015 I am a member of the Committee of the Institute of Physics in Scotland.
I chaired the Institute of Physics (IOP) Higher Education Group committee between October 2017 and September 2021. I am now an Ordinary Member of the Committee.
I currently sit on the IOP Degree Accreditation Committee, and I do various other things for IOP to promote Physics and Higher Education in general.

Public engagement

Café Scientifique bannerI have created a new Café Scientifique, which has the particularity of being held entirely in French. Events take place either in Glasgow or in Edinburgh. It’s fun, it’s informative, so feel free to like us, follow us on Twitter, and say “salut”!

I am happy to give talks for audiences at various levels (including schools) on a variety of topics in solar physics in particular and astronomy in general. I will even do them in English!

Incarnations
I can be found on Twitter, LinkedIn, ResearchGATE


Back then…

Previous departmental responsibilities
In the past, I have been Class Head for Physics 1, Deputy Class Head for Exploring the Cosmos 1, Class Head of Exploring the Cosmos 2, Deputy Lab Head for Astronomy 1, Lab Head of Astronomy 2, Convenor of the Taught MSc programmes, MSc Project coordinator, and Chair of the PGT Examination Board.

Teaching
Past teaching responsibilities include:

  • Physics 1 Workshops / tutorials
  • Solar System I (Exploring the Cosmos 1X)
  • Life and Death of Stars I (Exploring the Cosmos 1Y)
  • Solar System Physics 1 (Astronomy 1)
  • Astronomy 1 tutorials
  • Introduction to Cosmology (Astronomy 1)
  • Laboratory (Astronomy 1)
  • Theoretical Astrophysics (Astronomy 2)
  • Laboratory (Astronomy 2)
  • Numerical Methods (Physics 3/4)
  • Laboratory (Astronomy 345)
  • Matter in the Universe (Exploring the Cosmos 2)
  • Research Skills (Taught Masters)
  • Student supervision (Astronomy 2, Astronomy 345)

Research
Coordinating activities of the Solar Simulations for the Atacama Large Millimeter Observatory Network “Prominences” experts team.
Member of the Organising Committee of Commission E1 (Solar Radiation and Structure) of the International Astronomical Union.

Between 2016-2018 I led the ISSI International Team on “Solving the prominence paradox”. The goal of this International Team was to test new ideas and develop new models to explain 1) how the motions observed in prominences (above the solar limb) and filaments (on the solar disk) fit with our current understanding of the magnetic field structure, and 2) how these motions are related to the photospheric dynamics.

Between 2009 and 2011, I led the International Team on “Solar Prominence Formation and Equilibrium: New Data, New Models” of the International Space Science Institute. Click on the link if you want to learn about our activities and published papers.

In 2007-2009 I led the International Team on “Spectroscopy and Imaging of Quiescent and Eruptive Solar Prominences from Space”. We published two review papers on the Physics of Solar Prominences: Spectral Diagnostics and Non-LTE Modelling, and Magnetic Structure and Dynamics.


Contact details
Room 619
School of Physics and Astronomy
Kelvin Building
University of Glasgow
G12 8QQ
Scotland

Email: Nicolas.Labrosse@glasgow.ac.uk
Tel: +44 141 330 3817

If you read this page…
… and your thirst for knowledge has not been extinguished yet, you can also take a look at the departmental webpage!