Welcome to the A&A Group Homepage on Astronomy & Astrophysics Group | University of Glasgow

Directions

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:30:34 +0100

The University’s main campus is in the west end of Glasgow, about 2 miles from the city centre. It can be a pleasant walk but there are a variety of transport options to get from the city centre to the University, including buses, subway (Hillhead station is a short walk away), taxis and uber.

The University’s travel guide can get you to the Kelvin Building, a pdf map is here. The School of Physics and Astronomy has another map here.

Third John Brown Memorial Lecture

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:10:25 +0100

The University, with the Royal Astronomical Society, hosted the third John Brown Memorial Lecture on the evening of Jan 16th 2026.

This year’s sell out lecture was Songs from the Cosmos: Sound and Vision Using Muons a musical performance from BAFTA-winning artist Lomond Campbell and University of Glasgow nuclear physicist David Mahon. It was a captivating journey that celebrates the science and sounds of the muon.

Welcome back Dr Kerr

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 11:10:25 +0100

The group welcomes back Dr Graham Kerr who starts a prestigious Royal Society University Research Fellowship at the University.

Phd Projects

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 16:00:09 +0100

In the A&A group our PhD students have recently:

Coordinated new observations (ground + space based)
Led the analysis of new observations, using advanced techniques
Developed and ran data driven numerical simulations
Developed machine learning approaches for interpreting observations
Worked with collaborators worldwide (remote + in-person)
Engaged with the public through outreach activities

Below are research project which have been previously offered within the Astronomy & Astrophysics group - click the titles to expand them. Most are suggested project topics without funding necessarily available and will evolve over time. Some may not be available in the current round. There is a range of competitive scholarship funding and more information is available on the college website.

Group Hosted NLTE Workshop

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 11:10:25 +0100

The group has recently hosted a workshop on Non-LTE Spectral Synthesis and Inversion, led by Dr Christopher Osborne, in the University’s Advanced Research Centre.

Congrats Dr Mulay

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 11:10:25 +0100

Congratulations to Dr Sargam Mulay who has been elected to the UKSP (UK Solar Physics) Council.

Congrats Prof Fletcher MBE

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 11:10:25 +0100

Congratulations to Prof Lyndsay Fletcher who has been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours, for services to solar physics and to diversity and inclusion in physics and astronomy.

Plasma Physics

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 16:31:09 +0100

Plasma physics at the University of Glasgow spans fundamental theory, numerical modelling, and applications across astrophysical, heliospheric, and laboratory environments. Our work addresses how charged particles, electromagnetic fields, and neutral media interact across a wide range of scales, from relativistic pair plasmas to low-temperature atmospheric and dusty plasmas.

Main research themes

Fundamental plasma theory and simulation: fluid and kinetic plasma modelling, including wave-particle interactions, transport, and non-linear evolution.
Low-temperature and atmospheric plasmas: ionization waves, electron avalanches, streamer formation, dielectric barrier discharges, and plasma-neutral coupling.
Dusty plasmas and plasma chemistry: grain charging, growth, and morphology, plus plasma-driven chemistry and surface interactions in gas-plasma-particle systems. This is used to study lightning in the atmospheres of brown dwarfs and exoplanets, as well as the dust cloud evolution in sub-stellar atmospheres.
Astrophysical and relativistic plasmas: pair plasmas, relativistic damping, and wave propagation relevant to pulsars magnetospheres and high-energy astrophysical environments.
Solar and heliospheric plasma processes: plasma-wave physics, transport from the solar atmosphere into the heliosphere, and links to radio diagnostics and space-weather impacts.
magnetized plasma dynamics: magnetic structure formation, plasma-neutral mixed-flow evolution, and magnetized flow instabilities in cosmic contexts.

Methods and approach

The group combines analytical theory, numerical simulation, and data-informed interpretation. Depending on project scope, this includes magnetized plasma modelling, wave and transport calculations, plasma chemistry frameworks, and comparisons with observations from solar and heliospheric instruments.

Solar Physics

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 16:31:03 +0100

Solar physics at the University of Glasgow focuses on the dynamics and energetics of the Sun - how magnetic energy is stored, released, and transported in the Sun’s atmosphere, and how this drives flares, jets, and other eruptive events. Our work connects fundamental plasma physics with observations from ground- and space-based instruments, with strong links to space weather and data-driven modelling. International collaboration is a core part of our world leading research.

SUPA Cormack meeting

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 11:10:25 +0100

The group hosted the annual SUPA Royal Society of Edinburgh Cormack meeting, on Dec 5th 2023, which brings together astronomers from across Scotland to present and discuss their work.

First John Brown Memorial Lecture

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 11:10:25 +0100

The University, with the Royal Astronomical Society, hosted the first John Brown Memorial Lecture on the evening of Dec 5th 2023.

The John Brown Memorial Lectures are named in honour of Professor John Brown, the former Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Regius Professor of Astronomy at the University of Glasgow, and former leader of the A&A group, who passed away in 2019. As Astronomer Royal for Scotland, he was a keen advocate for science communication, with a strong interest in the interface between the arts and science, often incorporating magic tricks into his public lectures. The memorial lectures continue this tradition focusing on the influence of science on art.

Aidan Miles

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Carmel O'Brien

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Colin Hunter

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dr Alexander MacKinnon

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dr Christopher Osborne

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

My research primarily focuses on the modelling and interpretation of optical spectral lines from solar flares. I specialise in radiative transfer with time-dependent atomic populations outside of local thermodynamic equilibrium, and also the application of machine learning to invert this problem in observations in a computationally tractable manner.

Dr Craig Stark

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dr Daniel Clarkson

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dr David Graham

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dr David Millar

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

I obtained my PhD in Solar Physics in 2023, where I carried out observations of solar flares using cutting edge telescopes. After a short post-doc in this area, I made a shift into my current work which is focused on Physics Education.

My teaching responsibilities are wide-ranging, and include: supervising student projects in astronomy; laboratories; small group supervisions; delivering lectures as part of Exploring the Cosmos on Stars and Stellar Structure. I am passionate about delivering engaging and inclusive teaching, to facilitate an excellent learning environment for students.

Dr Graham Kerr

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

I obtained my undergraduate MSci (Hons) degree and then my PhD here at the University of Glasgow, before becoming a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Upon completion of that postdoc position I became a NASA and NSF funded research scientist at the Catholic University of America, but still based at NASA/GSFC as a co-operative scientist.

In January 2026 I was very pleased to return to the University of Glasgow as a Royal Society University Research Fellow in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group.

Dr Hugh Hudson

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dr Iain Hannah

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

I am a Senior Lecturer, and former Royal Society University Research Fellow, and my research is focused on the physical processes behind the emission we observe in solar flares (or explosive bursts) in the Sun’s atmosphere. I study this primarily through multi-wavelength observations combined with theory and numerical simulations.

I am particularly interested in small active region flares (microflares and smaller) and also quiet sun emission. I have studied these with the solar X-ray telescope RHESSI, STIX on Solar Orbiter, and with the astrophysics X-ray telescope NuSTAR probing the emission from these weak events. My overview of these solar NuSTAR observations is available on GitHub Pages.

Dr Luis Teodoro

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dr Matthew Swayne

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

My main research interest is in exoplanetary science and the overarching hunt for life outside our solar system. As instrumentation has advanced since the discovery of the first exoplanet, we have begun analysing the spectra of exoplanet atmospheres. This allows the detection of different molecular species with the hopeful goal of detecting biomarkers, molecules that could only have been created by life.

Past Work

There is however a long way to go and a lot of legwork to do. My PhD work involved using the ESA’s CHEOPS satellite to measure radii and effective temperatures of low-mass stars in eclipsing binaries. Low-mass stars have become popular targets as exoplanet hosts, but have frequently been observed with radii greater than those theoretical models predict for their particular mass, dubbed ‘radius inflation’. If the star is measured wrong, then so will be the inferred properties of the planet orbiting it! Using CHEOPS I observed a sample of 23 low-mass stars, testing for inflation and exploring potential trends behind this radius inflation problem.

Dr Nicolas Labrosse

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

I received my PhD from the Université Paris-Sud with a thesis on the modelling of the helium spectrum in solar prominences carried out at the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale in Orsay, France, under the supervision of Pierre Gouttebroze. I then moved to Aberystwyth University (Wales) to continue as a postdoctoral researcher in the Solar System Physics group. I joined the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Glasgow in 2007.

Dr Norman Gray

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dr Sargam Mulay

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Biography

Dr. Sargam Mulay obtained a Ph.D. in Solar Physics from the University of Cambridge, UK in 2018. She had an opportunity to work with Dr. Helen Mason and Dr. Giulio Del Zanna on the topic of solar active region jets. After completing PhD, she joined as a postdoc at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, India. She worked with Prof. Durgesh Tripathi for 1.5 years on sigmoid observations. Since 2019, she is a research assistant with Prof. Lyndsay Fletcher at the University of Glasgow, UK and she is working on spectroscopic observations of solar flares.

Esther Medina

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Francoise Osborne

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Glasgow Callisto

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A CALLISTO spectrometer is installed at our Acre Rd Observatory and provides live observations of the Sun at radio frequencies between 45 and 870 MHz with 0.25 second cadence.

The live data (below) is updated every 15 minutes between 07:15 UT and 17:15 UT.

All times in the graphs are UT. Solar radio data (and all quick look images) from Glasgow CALLISTO spectrometer can be downloaded by either ftp, html. The data from e-Callisto network (including Glasgow) can accessed via the CALLISTO data browser.

History

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Department of Astronomy was born in 1760 with the foundation of the Regius Chair of Astronomy. The history of the University’s Observatories is summarised below and the University Library holds a special collection of works on the history of astronomy and professors at Glasgow.

For more detailed information about the history of the observatories, and astronomy at Glasgow, see:

Glasgow and the Heavens, Vistas in Astronomy, 36, 389-407 (1993) by Professor Archie Roy.
Reflections on the Astronomy of Glasgow: A story of some 500 years, Edinburgh University Press (2013) by Dr David Clarke.

The first Observatory

The Macfarlane Observatory on the Dowhill (Roy 1993)

The Macfarlane Observatory, was situated in the former University grounds in the High Street adjoining the Physics Garden. Alexander Macfarlane, a merchant in Jamaica, had bequeathed his collection of astronomical instruments to the University. These were shipped to Glasgow and put into working order (image of the order here) by James Watt, then at the start of his career as instrument maker to the University.

Miguel Rojas-Quesada

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Nataliá Bajnoková

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Nawal Alanazi

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Professor Bonnie Steves

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Professor Declan Diver

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

My research interest is in the physics of plasmas, particularly theory and numerical simulations of fluid and kinetic plasmas, and imperfectly ionised low-temperature technological plasmas.

Specific topics of interest:

LOW TEMPERATURE PLASMAS: electron avalanches, ionization waves, metastable excitation, streamer formation, surface modification;
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE PLASMAS: dielectric barrier discharges in air, sprites and energetic particle beam formation above thunderclouds via atmospheric electrostatics;
PLASMAS AND DUST: charging and growth of dust particles in plasmas, including aerosols (liquid droplets), and modification of ambient neutral gas by grain discharges and/or surface catalysis via electron-moderated plasma chemistry.
FLUID PLASMAS: MHD plasma - neutral gas momentum coupling, magnetic evolution in cosmological plasmas Ferrofluids: suspension and control of ferrofluid droplets against gravity.
SOLAR PLASMAS: solar surface flows and the interaction with magnetic elements; ionising flows and critical ionization speeds.
RELATIVISTIC PLASMAS: pair plasma kinetic theory, including Bernstein mode analysis and relativistic Landau damping; radiation coupling to, and damping of, electrostatic oscillations and waves in pulsar atmospheres;

Professor Eduard Kontar

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Eduard Kontar is Professor of Astrophysics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow, UK. His research is in solar and space physics covering solar flare energetic particle acceleration and propagation, plasma kinetic theory, solar radio and X-ray Astronomy, radio and X-ray emission mechanisms, inverse theory, and the development and application of new methods of X-ray and radio data analysis techniques.

Professor Graham Woan

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

My research interest is in gravitational wave data analysis and Bayesian methods. The astrophysical sources of gravitational radiation. Radio astronomy, in particular propagation at long wavelengths, including interplanetary scintillation and space-based radio astronomy. Development of the Square Kilometre Array and LOFAR.

Professor Lyndsay Fletcher

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

My research interests are in solar flare and coronal physics, and include: flares in the chromosphere, flare and active region magnetic field structure, analysis of imaging and spectral data from solar space missions and numerical simulation of fast particle transport in magnetized plasmas, and flare and active region magnetic field structure.

Professor Martin Hendry

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Gravitational-wave and multi-messenger astronomy and cosmology; statistical analysis of galaxy redshift and redshift-distance surveys; Bayesian inference and non-parametric statistical methods; Gravitational lensing and micro-lensing; public outreach and public engagement in science.

Samantha Cook

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Weather Station & Webcam

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Work in progress to bring back the live feedback from the observatory.

Yong Zhang

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000