UK Solar Physics Newsletter Lyndsay Fletcher & Duncan Mackay, Editors June 1st 2008 o News, Views and Gossip o Congratulations o Call for nominations to Science and Technology Facilities Council's Advisory Committees and Peer Review Panels o Meetings, Conferences and Workshops o STFC Advanced Summer School in Solar Physics 2008 o EURO MHD 2008 : registration open o Employment Opportunities o Postdoctoral Fellowship in Asteroseismology o STFC Postdoctoral Research Assistant (Solar Physics) o Post-Doctoral Research Position in Solar Physics at Cambridge University o Opening for a PhD position in Copenhagen o Editors' notes. Dear Colleague, Here are a few items which have come to our attention since the last Newsletter. You can find this newsletter also at the UKSP website: http://www.uksolphys.org Lyndsay (lyndsay@astro.gla.ac.uk) Duncan (duncan@mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk) ********************************************************************* * * * News, Views and Gossip * * * ********************************************************************* From : Editors Congratulations to Dr Clare Parnell of the University of St Andrews on her recent promotion to the position of Reader. Well done Clare !! Congratulations to Dr Ineke De Moortel of the University of St Andrews on her recent promotion to the position of Reader. Well done Ineke !! ************************************ From: Sarah-Jane Pritchard (STFC,SPO) Call for nominations to Science and Technology Facilities Council's Advisory Committees and Peer Review Panels Call for nominations to Science and Technology Facilities Council's Advisory Committees and Peer Review Panels - Closing date 15th June 2008 A small number of vacancies has arisen for outstanding individuals to become members of STFC's Advisory Committees and Peer Review Panels namely: Science Board; The Physical and Life Sciences Advisory Committee (PALS); The Projects Peer Review Panel (PPRP); The Particle Physics Grants Panel (PPGP). In addition we are establishing a new Facilities Research and Development Peer Review Panel (FRDP). Science Board and the PALS Committee provide scientific advice to the Council and, in the latter case, oversee the Council's user facilities. The peer review panels (PPRP and FRDP) are responsible for assessing projects that the Council consider have significant scientific priority and proposals for the development of the Council's facilities. The PPRP also considers requests for funding research and development projects that will provide underpinning technologies for future projects. The Particle Physics Grants Panel is responsible for assessing and making recommendations to the STFC Executive on research grant applications in particle physics. Read the full call for nominations here: http://www.scitech.ac.uk/About/Strat/Council/ComNoms08.aspx ********************************************************************* * * * Conferences, Workshops, Meetings * * * ********************************************************************* From: Mihalis Mathioudakis STFC Advanced Summer School in Solar Physics 2008 The next STFC Advanced Summer School in Solar Physics will take place at Queens University Belfast August 31st - September 5th 2008. See the following link for more details. http://star.pst.qub.ac.uk/asssp/ ************************************* From: Yannick Ponty Dear Colleagues, This is the first announcement for the EURO MHD 2008 conference. The conference will be located in Nice (France), from Thuesday the 23th of September noon, until Friday the 26th of September in the afternoon. The conference will be held in Nice at the "Maison des seminaire". The meeting aims at gathering scientists working on general MHD phenomenas, dynamo instabilities, and conducting rotating fluids. The meeting will also provide an opportunity to celebrate Pr. Andrew Soward's 65th birthday. Please note the conference website: http://www.oca.eu/euromhd2008 The registration is now opened, and the deadline for participants wishing to give a presentation is August 1st, 2008. (the deadline for participation without presentations is the 20th of August 2008). Please note that there are only 60 bedrooms in the "maison des seminaire". Rooms will be given on a "first come, first served" basis (alternative hotels are also proposed on http://www.oca.eu/euromhd2008/Hotel.html) There is a incompressible fee for all participants of 150 euros. This fee includes all lunches (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) as well as the conference dinner. Y. Ponty. On behalf of the organizers: Y.Ponty, E. Dormy, H. Politano. *********************************************************************** * * * Positions Vacant * * * *********************************************************************** From: Bill Chaplin Postdoctoral Fellowship in Asteroseismology Applications are invited to join a team of researchers at the University of Birmingham studying the fundamental properties of stars, using asteroseismology. We are seeking an active researcher to work on analysis of asteroseismology data from ground-based and satellite observations. This is an exciting time for the field of asteroseismology, with the recent launch of the French CoRoT satellite, the upcoming launch of the NASA Kepler mission, and continuation of observations from other ground and space-based instruments. Birmingham has a rapidly expanding programme of research in this area. The emphasis of the research will be on stars that show Sun-like oscillations, ranging from main sequence to red giant targets. Solar-stellar linkages will be an important aspect of the work. The research programme will include preparation for, and analysis of, asteroseismology data from Kepler. The research fellow will have the opportunity to play a prominent role in international collaborations, and to work on data from a variety of missions and telescopes. This post is available from 1 October 2008 onwards, initially for a period of 24 months, with the possibility of a further 12 months of funding. Informal enquiries may be made to Dr. W. J. Chaplin via e-mail: W.J.Chaplin@bham.ac.uk Closing date: 20 June 2008 Details from 0121 415 9000 or www.hr.bham.ac.uk/jobs Post reference: S43278 HR, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT ******************************************** From: Robert William Walsh STFC Postdoctoral Research Assistant (Solar Physics) - three year limited term position Centre for Astrophysics, School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK Salary - Grade F (GBP 21,681-25,135) or, where experience is sufficient, Grade G (GBP 25,888-not more than 27,466) Applications are invited for a three-year STFC-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 and the analysis of Hinode observational datasets. Specific emphasis will be Âplaced on the development of Bayesian analysis methods (BAMs) necessary to analyse the resulting multi-wavelength observations. These BAMs will be employed to better constrain the determination of coronal oscillations as well as the determination of the temperature and density structure of the solar atmosphere. 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 coordinating multi-instrument, multi-wavelength solar observing campaigns and in related software (IDL, Solarsoft) is essential. Also a familiarity with Bayesian analysis methodology as well as the theoretical background to solar atmospheric dynamic behaviour is highly desirable. 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 157A-30-05. 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 1st July 2008. References should be emailed or sent directly to Dr. Robert Walsh - rwwalsh@uclan.ac.uk ; phone +44 (0)1772 893557; fax +44 (0)1772 892996. 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 Department 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 week beginning 14th July 2008 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 Department is located on the University's main campus, on a pleasant site near the centre of Preston, Englands 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 Centre for Astrophysics research areas include: solar physics, solar-terrestrial physics, stellar and galactic astrophysics, extragalactic astronomy and observational cosmology. Reference number: 157A-3-05 Closing date: 1st July 2008, at 5.15pm ******************************************** From: Helen E. Mason Post-Doctoral Research Position in Solar Physics at Cambridge University There is a vacancy for a PDRA position (for 3 years) within the Atomic- and Astro-physics group at DAMTP (Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics), University of Cambridge. This post is supported by an STFC Rolling Grant. This research project focuses on the determination of the physical properties of small and large scale dynamic structures in the solar atmosphere: eg micro-flares, bright points, active regions, flares and CMEs etc, using recent UV and X-ray spectroscopic and imaging data. Particular attention will be paid to the recent Hinode observations (SOT, XRT and EIS) which enable the consequences of changes to the magnetic field in the lower atmosphere to be traced through to the corona. The Hinode observations will be supplemented where appropriate by those from other solar observatories (eg SoHO, TRACE, STEREO and SDO). Spectroscopic diagnostic techniques will be developed using the CHIANTI atomic data package for forward modelling. Theory and observations will be combined to gain a better understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of the solar atmosphere. Applicants should hold a PhD in a scientific discipline. Experience in the analysis of astrophysical data would be valuable, together with a basic understanding of spectral line formation. Application forms (closing date 30th June 2008) and further information: http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/hr/jobs/vacancies.cgi?job=3448 Informal enquiries can be made to Helen Mason ******************************************* From: Klaus Galsgaard The Niels Bohr Institute (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) invites applicants for a PhD position to work within the framework of the Solar Atmospheric and Interplanetary Research (SOLAIRE) network. The position is cofinanced by the Sixth Framework Programme of the EC and local Danish grant sources. The appointed candidate will mainly work in the Computational Astrophysics group at the NBI. This group has specialized in computational investigations of large scale magnetohydrodynamic and small scale charged particle dynamics problems in astrophysics. The aim of the PhD project is to investigate the basic properties of the fast energy release processes in magnetic reconnection scenarios, using numerical 3D Particle-In- Cell techniques. The special SOLAIRE funding requires the student to spend one third of the PhD period at one of the other network notes. For the present position this will be at the RuhrUniversitat in Bochum, Germany. The PhD student will also benefit from the SOLAIRE network research environment, which has the explicit aim of fostering research collaboration among its participant institutions, through work on five collaborative work packages. The activities of the network include network meetings, postgraduate schools and complementary skills courses. The Applicant must - have obtained a Master degree at the time of appointment, - not have resided in Denmark for more than 12 months during the last three years prior to the appointment, - not have Danish or German citizenship. The contract is for three years, at the end of which the applicants is expected to obtain a PhD degree from the University of Copenhagen (and if so desired possibly also from the University of Bochum). The contract should be started as soon as possible after the selection process has finished, at the latest at the end of 2008. Salary and social insurance benefits will be paid according to EUrules. The application should include: - The application form, a copy of which can be found at the SOLAIRE web site (cf. below) - Curriculum Vitae - Two letters of recommendation. - A short statement as to why you are the correct person for the position Application must be send, preferable via email, to the group secretary Marianne Bentsen, at marianne@astro.ku.dk, phone +45 35325996, fax + 45 35325989. Postal address: Niels Bohr Institute, Juliane Maries Vej 30, Dk2100, Copenhagen 0, Denmark. For further information, please contact prof. Ake Nordlund (aake@astro.ku.dk) *********************************************************************** * * * Editors' Notes * * * *********************************************************************** The UK Solar Physics Newsletters will be distributed on a monthly basis, with occasional extra issues for breaking news. Please note, the UK Solar Physics Web is now back, at http://www.uksolphys.org/ Submissions to the UK Solar Physics Newsletters should be e-mailed to Lyndsay Fletcher and Duncan MacKay. Any suggestions and ideas are welcome. Please keep meeting and workshop announcements to a reasonable length of typed text with a max of 72 characters per line, with a Web address for further information. Also notify Lyndsay of any Email address changes. You may always unsubscribe from this list by sending an email to either of the editors with the words 'UKSP-unsubscribe' in the subject line. The Editors http://www.uksolphys.org _______________________________________________ uksp mailing list uksp@physics.gla.ac.uk http://www.physics.gla.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/uksp