Staff

To contact any staff member, please use Contact Us.

Dr Stewart Eyres

Job Title: Senior Lecturer

Stewart is currently Associate Head of the School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences, after having been the Course Leader for Astronomy Distance Learning for several years. His research interests are in binary and evolved stars, with particular interest in the late stages of stellar evolution. He is module leader for Investigations in Astronomy.

Dr Barbara Hassall

Job Title: Senior Lecturer

Having spent several years as the Course Leader for the distance learning programme, Barbara is now Deputy Course Leader. She has contributed to most of the modules, (authoring or editing) and developed many of the support systems we operate to help students through their studies. She also teaches on several of the modules, including Introduction to Astronomy, Origins and Collaborative Investigation.

Ian Butchart

Job Title: Principal Lecturer

In 1995 Ian initiated the distance learning programme, taking an existing adult education module and developing it for this mode of teaching. He has since been a driving force behind the developments, and alongside Barbara Hassall has developed the programme to the position it is today, including the first (and still only) BSc honours degree in Astronomy available by distance learning. He also teaches on several modules, such as Introduction to Astrobiology and Extreme States of Matter.

Dr Robert Walsh

Job Title: Senior Lecturer

After completing his doctorate and post-doctorate work at St Andrews University, Robert came to UCLan to develop his theoretical and observational studies of the Sun. With a background in applied mathematics, Robert is a solar physicist exploring mechanisms for heating the corona of our nearest star. He is module leader for Solar Astrophysics and contributes to Sun, Earth and Climate.

Dr Silvia Dalla

Job Title: Senior Lecturer

Currently Course Leader, Silvia is responsible for the overall operation and development of the Astronomy distance learning programme. Trained as a plasma physicist with experience at Imperial College and JET, Silvia has research interests in Solar Physics. She studies solar flares and the energetic particles they generate, as well as the Sun's magnetic field as it emerges from the photosphere. She is currently module leader for Energy, Matter & the Universe and Sun, Earth & Climate.

Dr Paul Marston

Job Title: Senior Lecturer

With a background in mathematics and statistics, Paul also has a long standing interest in the history and philosophy of science. He has had several books and pamphlets published on historical figures in science, with a particular interest in Jeremiah Horrocks and William Hershel. He teaches Great Astronomers in History, an extract from his face-to-face modules Copernican Revolution and Darwinian Revolution.

Professor Don Kurtz

Job Title: Professor of Astrophysics

Following his doctoral work in Texas, Don spent 30 years at the University of Cape Town developing immense expertise in the application of spectroscopy to the problems of stellar astrophysics. He has been a leader in the development of the technique of asteroseismology, allowing us to look inside stars, and is a world-leader in this field. While most of his teaching is of the face-to-face kind, Don has contributed extensively to the distance learning programme, particularly the module Solar-Stellar Connection.

Professor Brad Gibson

Job Title: Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics

As Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics, Brad leads a research programme into the modelling of galaxies, complimenting observational work being carried out in the Centre for Astrophysics. With experience in Canada and Australia, Brad brings a particular perspective to our work. He has taught on the Level 3 modules Collaborative Investigations and Relativity & Cosmology.