Biography

Biography

I am a Lecturer in Astrophysics at Keele University, where my research interests are planetary systems, binary stars and pulsating stars. I also dabble in music and public outreach. I also do lots of things to help the scientific community, e.g. refereeing papers and grant applications, telescope time allocation committees, supervising PhD students, PhD thesis examination, writing white papers, IAU Commissions, writing computer codes, etc.

My first degree was a Masters in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of St. Andrews. I then came to Keele as a PhD student in 2001, and graduated in 2006 with a thesis entitled Eclipsing Binary Stars in Open Clusters. My first postdoctoral position was at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. After this I moved to the University of Warwick for four years, before returning to Keele in 2010 for my third postdoc. I was subsequently awarded an STFC Advanced Fellowship, and became a lecturer at Keele in 2011.

I now lead three modules and am involved in a fourth in the Keele physics and astrophysics degree offering. I have also managed to accumulate plenty of other responsibilities along the way, including chairing the Sustainability Committee for the School. This makes life interesting but sometimes logistically complex.

Further information on me can be found on my personal homepage.

School address

Lennard-Jones School of Chemical and Physical Sciences
Lennard-Jones Building
Keele University
Staffordshire
ST5 5BG, UK
Phone (School Office): +44 (0)1782 733033, (Chemistry): +44 (0)1782 731693, (Forensic Science): +44 (0)1782 731694, (Physics): +44 (0)1782 733527
Email: scps@keele.ac.uk

Information for schools and colleges

Contact us about our workshops and lecture series

Programme directors

Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry
Dr Tess Phillips
Tel : +44 (0)1782 733038
Email : t.r.phillips@keele.ac.uk

Dr Chris Hawes
Tel : +44 (0)1782 732820
Email : c.s.hawes@keele.ac.uk

Forensic Science and Criminology
Dr Jamie K. Pringle
Tel : +44 (0)1782 733163
Email : j.k.pringle@keele.ac.uk

Victoria Cartwright
Tel: +44 (0)1782733584
Email: v.cartwright@keele.ac.uk

Physics and Astrophysics
Dr Barry Smalley and Dr Joana Oliveira
Email : b.smalley@keele.ac.ukj.oliveira@keele.ac.uk

Admission tutors

Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry
Dr Natalie Capel
Tel : +44 (0)1782 733584
Email : n.j.capel@keele.ac.uk

Forensic Science
Sue Shemilt
Email: s.shemilt@keele.ac.uk

Physics and Astrophysics
Dr Juliana Morbec
Email : physics@keele.ac.uk or j.morbec@keele.ac.uk