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Solar and Magnetospheric MHD Theory Group

Welcome to the WWW pages of the Solar and Magnetospheric MHD Theory Group. We are one of the Applied Mathematics research groups in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

We are a large group of applied mathematicians, who study the Sun using mathematical modelling techniques and observational data from satellites such as SoHO, Yohkoh and TRACE, or ground based observatories such as Kitt Peak and Big Bear. We also have close collaborations with the Solar Group at Glasgow University and will be actively involved with the new space missions that are soon to be launched, namely, Stereo, SolarB and Solar Dynamics Observatory (on which we are a Co-Investigators).

The Group is currently investigating several fundamental MHD and plasma processes such as magnetic reconnection, magnetic equilibria, MHD waves, MHD instabilities and particle acceleration. By using these processes we model a wide range of solar phenomena, including coronal heating, solar flares, prominences, the Sun's global magnetic field, coronal loop structure and topology, coronal oscillations, coronal seismology, emerging flux, the magnetic carpet and flux cancellation.

2011

Congratulations to Clare Parnell on her recent promotion to Professor.
Welcome to Gordon Gibb, Julie McCormick and Sarah Platten who have joined the group this year as a PhD students.
Welcome to our new postdoc Dr Paolo Pagano who is working with Duncan Mackay as part of the EU funded SWIFF project. Also welcome to Dr Ian Whittaker who is the groups new observational prostdoc.
Congratulations to Drs Anna Lisa Restante , Ruth Bowness and Cicely Macnamara who have all passed their PhD vivas. Dr Anna Lisa Restante has left and taken up a postdoc at K.U. Leuven, Dr Ruth Bowness is teaching a private secondary school in England and Dr Cicely Macnamara is currently working in St Andrews for ELT.
Congratulations to Drs Lynsey Thornton, Jorge Fuentes Fernandez and Graeme Cook who have all passed their PhD vivas. Dr Lynsey Thornton has left to work for the consultancy firm Business and Decision in Edinburgh, Dr Jorge Fuentes Fernandez has started as a postdoc with the group and Dr Graeme Cook is undertaking a teacher training course.

2010

Congratulations to Dr Nasser Al Santa on his successful defence of his PhD thesis. Nasser has a lectureship at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat Oman
Congratulations to Drs Alex Russell and David MacTaggart who have both just passed their PhD vivas. Dr Alex Russell has a Fellowship from the Royal Commission of 1851 which he will be taking up at Glasgow University, whilst Dr David MacTaggart has a postdoctoral position at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen. We wish then well in their postdoctoral careers.
Welcome also to Greg Kiddie who has joined the group as a PhD student.
Welcome to Solmaz Oskoui who has joined the group as a PhD student.
Congratulations to Alex Russell on gaining a Fellowship from the Royal Commission of 1851. He will be holding his Fellowship at Glasgow University.
Clare Parnell and Thomas Neukirch held the 7th International Cambridge Workshop on Magnetic Reconnection from 16th-20th August 2010.
Alan Hood, Ineke De Moortel and Stephane Regnier organised the BUKS2010 conference on Waves from 9th-11th June 2010.
Congratulations to Bernie Roberts who has been awarded the 2010 RAS Chapman Medal for investigations of outstanding merit in solar-terrestrial physics.
Also congratulations to Ineke De Moortel on being awarded the 2010 RAS Fowler award in Geophysics which is given to researchers who have made a particularly noteworthy contribution to geophysical sciences at an early stage in their career.
Clare Parnell, Ineke De Moortel, Alan Hood and Stephane Regnier organised the 4th Solaire Postgraduate School on Solar MHD, Magnetic Reconnection, Flares and CMEs which was held on 11th-14th January 2010..

2009

Welcome to our new PhD student Kuan Vai Tam and Mag Selwa a new Solaire European Network funded postdoc.

Congratulations to Ineke De Moortel on being awarded a Phillip Leverhulme Prize in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Ineke De Moortel, Alan Hood and Clare Parnell are organising an RAS Discussion Meeting: SOLAR MAGNETIC FIELDS AND THE DYNAMIC SUN: Celebrating the Career of Prof E.R. Priest on 13th November 2009 in London. If you'd like to submit an abstract please follow this link
Congratulations to Dr Duncan Mackay on being promoted to Reader.

This years Edinburgh International Science Festival will be held from 6th to 18th April. If you are interested in learning more about the Sun, its effects on the Earth and Space Travel then come along to Edinburgh Zoo on Saturday 18th April at 11am or 2pm where Dr Clare Parnell and Dr Ineke De Moortel will be revealing amazing facts about the Sun.

Congratulations to Prof Eric Priest on being awarded the RAS Gold Medal for Geophysics He is honoured in recognition of both his distinguished research work and his key role in nurturing future generations of scientists.

2008

Welcome to all our new PhD students! Jorge Fuentes Fernandez and Aimilia Smyrli, who are both funded by the Solaire European Network, are both in the second year of their PhDs and are joining us from Budapest and Catania, respectively.
We also welcome three new students who are just starting their PhDs this September, Karen Meyer, James Threlfall and Fiona Wilson.
Welcome also to Dr Craig Stark who has recently joined the group as our new Magnetospheric postdoc.

The 5th Magnetic Tracking Workshop was held in St Andrews from the 1st-5th September organised by Clare Parnell

Congratulations to Dr Clare Parnell and Dr Ineke De Moortel on being promoted to Reader.

2007

Congratulations to Dr Clare Parnell on being awarded a Leverhulme Prize in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Ineke De Moortel is organising an RAS Discussion Meeting on Coronal Heating: New Observational Results and Forward Modelling on 11th January 2008 in London.
Public Lecture Tour New Horizons: The Sun and its Effects on the Earth and Space Travel
The group are organising a series of lectures across Scotland in aid of International Heliophysical Year. The first of these will take place on Wednesday 14th November in Dundee with the second on Wednesday 28th November in St Andrews. Each evening will consist of three mini lectures suitable for secondary school children and above.
Welcome to all our new PhD students! Ruth Carr, Keith Grady, Cicley Macnamara, David MacTaggart, Anna Lisa Restante and Alexander Russell have all just started their PhDs in September 2007.
Welcome also to Neil Symington who has recently joined us as the UK MHD Consortium Supercomputer Advisor.

This years STFC Advanced Summer School in Solar Physics was held in St Andrews from the 2nd-7th September.
Vasilis Archontis and Alan Hood organised a International Flux Emergence Workshop from the 12th-15th June.

Congratulations to Prof. Alan Hood on being invited to give the Royal Astronomical Society's Harold Jeffrey's Lecture for 2007. Also congratulations to Duncan Mackay on gaining the Royal Astronomical Society's Fowler Prize for 2007.

2006

Clare Parnell and Ineke De Moortel organised an RAS Discussion Meeting on Solar Terrestrial Magnetic Fields and Reconnection on 13th October in London.

Welcome to Graeme Cook, Nick Owen and Lynsey Thornton, who have all recently joined the group as PhD students.

The group hosted the annual UK MHD meeting from 8th-9th June.

Welcome to Vasilis Archontis, who has joined the group as a postdoctoral research assistant and to Peng Fei Chen, who is a long term visitor.

Congratulations to Clare Parnell on gaining the Royal Astronomical Society's Fowler Prize for 2006.

2005

Congratulations to our long-term visitor Gunnar Hornig on gaining a lectureship at Dundee University.

Congratulations to Duncan Mackay and Ineke De Moortel who have been appointed to lectureships at St Andrews on completion of their fellowships.

Welcome to Stephane Regnier who has joined us as a postdoctoral research assistant, to Chris Brady who is the UK MHD consortium's new computing officer, and to Mike Harrison, Dee McDougall and Anthony Yeates who have all recently started their PhDs with the group.

Congratulations and good luck to Daniel Brown on his move to the University of Wales Aberystwyth to take up a lectureship there in the Institute of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

2004

Welcome to Fiona McFarlane, the group's new secretary, to Antonio Diaz, who has joined us as a postdoctoral research assistant, and to Antonia Wilmot-Smith, Andrew Haynes and Michelle Murray, who have all recently started their PhDs with the group.

The group hosted SOHO 15, a major international conference on coronal heating. It took place in September 2004 and was a great success with over 140 delegates attending.

Eric Priest ran a 1-month programme on Magnetic Reconnection Theory in Cambridge, August 2004.

2003

The group hosted a conference on Magnetic Reconnection and the Dynamic Sun in honour of the 60th birthday of Professor Eric Priest. The meeting took place on 8-10th September 2003.

Find out about International Sun-Earth Day and what the Solar Group did.