Jobs in Gravitational Waves at Cardiff University

Posted in The Universe and Stuff with tags , , , , on September 5, 2016 by telescoper

Gradually settling back in here to the School of Physics & Astronomy at Cardiff University, I thought I’d indulge  in a bit of promotional activity and point out that, following on from the recent detection of gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO Consortium, of which  Cardiff University is a member, there are two opportunities open for jobs in gravitational physics.

One is in the area of Gravitational Wave Astronomy. Here is the blurb:

The current Cardiff Gravitational Physics group has expertise in gravitational-wave data analysis, numerical relativity and source modelling, and astrophysical interpretation, and consists of four full-time and two part-time academic staff, two research fellows, five postdoctoral researchers and nine PhD students. Our research is supported by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the Royal Society, and the European Horizon 2020 programme. The group is a founding member of GEO600, a member of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) Scientific Collaboration and has played a leading role in these collaborations from their inception through to the recent first direct detection of gravitational waves, and is also active in planning and development of future detectors, such as LIGO-India, Einstein Telescope and Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA).

This new appointment is part of a long-term expansion of the group, to broaden and strengthen our current research in gravitational-wave astronomy, and to build a world-leading group in gravitational-wave experimentation.

For the full advertisement, links to further particulars etc, see here.

The other is the area of Gravitational Wave Experimentation:

The current Cardiff Gravitational Physics group has expertise in gravitational-wave data analysis, numerical relativity and source modelling, and astrophysical interpretation, and consists of four full-time and two part-time academic staff, two research fellows, five postdoctoral researchers and nine PhD students. Our research is supported by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the Royal Society, and the European Horizon 2020 programme. The group is a founding member of GEO600, a member of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory ( LIGO) Scientific Collaboration and has played a leading role in these collaborations from their inception through to the recent first direct detection of gravitational waves, and is also active in planning and development of future detectors, such as LIGO-India, Einstein Telescope and Laser Interferometer Space Antenna ( LISA).

This new appointment is part of a long-term expansion of the group, to broaden and strengthen our current research in gravitational-wave astronomy, and to build a world-leading group in gravitational-wave experimentation, with additional appointments expected in the near future.

For full details on this one see here.

The second appointment is intended to build on existing strengths by adding a more experimental dimension to Cardiff’s research in Gravitational Waves.

 

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Alternative Blog Title

Posted in Uncategorized on September 4, 2016 by telescoper

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Beards…or no Beards?

Posted in Uncategorized on September 3, 2016 by telescoper

It’s World Beard Day, so here’s a reblog of a post by renowned beard historian Dr Alun Withey..

Dr Alun Withey's avatarDr Alun Withey

StateLibQld_2_174867_Sketch_entitled,_The_New_Queensland_Ministry.jpg

(Image from Wikimedia Commons)

It’s summer 2016, and beards are still pulling headlines in the news. A report on last week’s Financial Times website suggested that men are spending 20% more year on year, on niche products. One observer notes that the market for men’s grooming products is likely to top £1bn by 2018. The Guardian claim to be able to read personality through different beard styles, while other sites range from calling the end of the Hipster beard, to a report that one man wants to see the return of the beard tax.

There have been some signs of slowdown in recent months; a friend (and owner of a traditional barber shop) tells me that the numbers of men coming in for beard grooming has begun to fall, but also that the style has began to change towards shorter beards. Men who have beards are not removing them altogether…

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Gender balance, one woman at a time

Posted in Uncategorized on September 2, 2016 by telescoper

An interesting discussion of gender balance in Physics..

Debbie Hayton's avatarDebbie Hayton

What can be done to increase the number of women in physics? This question keeps committees busy and researchers funded, but the solution seems as elusive as squaring the circle. Four years ago, however, I did my bit: I transitioned from male to female. As this also meant that the number of men in physics was simultaneously reduced by one, it was, as they say in football, a “six-pointer”.

I hasten to add that I didn’t transition in order to improve the male-female ratio among physicists; that really would have been a remarkable thing to do. However, it did mean that when my wave function collapsed into the F state, I was able to conduct some controlled social observations in my work as a teacher. I’m the same person and I’m doing the same job, but in a different gender role.

After a degree, PhD and postdoctoral research I trained…

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R.I.P. Rudy van Gelder (1924-2016)

Posted in Jazz with tags , , , , on September 1, 2016 by telescoper

One of the sad items of news that appeared last week while I was indisposed was the death at the age of 91 of legendary recording engineer Rudy van Gelder. He was the man who established the sound of a huge proportion of the greatest Jazz records made in the 1950s and 60s, including classic albums on the Blue Note, Prestige and Impulse labels by musicians of the calibre of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Art Blakey. It’s quite unusual for sound engineers to become famous, but Van Gelder certainly did and his passing has left us with a priceless legacy of extraordinary music.

By sheer coincidence, one of the books I took with me to read in hospital was this:

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Written by Richard Havers, this is an excellent illustrated history of the legendary record label, Blue Note. Blue Note began with a number of classic recordings from the era of Sidney Bechet, Edmond Hall and Bunk Johnson, but it was the post-bebop era that really established the label  in terms of sound and distinctive artwork:
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Van Gelder’s  first recording studio was set up in his house in Hackensack, New Jersey, and it was probably because of the unsuitable shape of the room he used that he experimented so much with, e.g.,  the number and placing of microphones and in the way he mixed the tapes do produce a much fuller sound than was typical for jazz recordings of that era.  He moved to a bigger house – again with a built in studio – later on, but stuck by many of his earlier innovations.

One immediate result of his habit of close-miking both solo and backing instruments – he was known to use three mikes on the drums, which was unheard of at the time – and recording them as “hot” as possible, was that he guaranteed that his records would have a huge and vibrant sound when played on a gramophone or jukebox. He also captured the unique sound that Miles Davis created when he played the trumpet with a Harman mute. When Miles moved from Prestige to another label he asked their engineers to reproduce exactly what Van Gelder had done. They wouldn’t -or couldn’t – do it.

Not everyone approved of Van Gelder’s approach. You can read some severe criticisms here. Some musicians – including Charles Mingus – didn’t like the sound at all either. But there’s no question that what he did brought a new dimension to what was an extraordinarily creative time for Jazz. An astonishing fraction of the great records described in the book I mentioned above were recorded by him. As a tribute I’m including the record that for me established the Blue Note sound, Moanin’ by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers recorded in Van Gelder’s Hackensack Studio, New Jersey in 1958, the cover of which is shown above.

Rest in Peace, Rudy Van Gelder (1924-2016).

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Back to Cosmology, Data Analysis and Cardiff

Posted in Biographical, The Universe and Stuff with tags , on September 1, 2016 by telescoper

Today is my first day back in the School of Physics and Astronomy at Cardiff University. Although my job title, Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics, is the same as it was when I was here in a previous incarnation it will be quite a different job and I’m going to be located in a different building (though not far from my old office). In fact my office is in a newly refurbished space connected with the Data Innovation Research Institute just on the other side of a car park from my old office. It looks like being an exciting time over the next few months and years as new staff across a range of disciplines join the Institute, expanding its research portfolio from astrophysics (especially gravitational wave research) into biomedical sciences and beyond.

Here’s a little video about the Data Innovation Research Institute, which is about conducting fundamental research into the aspects of managing, analysing and interpreting massive volumes of textual and numerical information:

But for the moment it’s been a day for administrative matters: taking my P45 to the Human Resources Department, getting my new Staff ID card, trying to get myself set up on the University computer network, and so on. Oh, and I’ve agreed to do some teaching in the Spring Semester, a Level 4 module on The Physics of the Early Universe. It will be nice to be teaching some cosmology again!

 

 

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Back in Circulation

Posted in Uncategorized on August 31, 2016 by telescoper

Just a quick post to inform my regular readers (Sid and Doris Bonkers) that I survived my short spell in the hands of the National Health Service and am safely back home. It all took a bit longer than I had hoped but seems to have worked out all right. I came out yesterday, in fact, but because I hadn’t been sleeping well when in hospital I just crashed out when I got home.

I had originally intended for this bit of planned maintenance to take place the week after I came back to Cardiff but I was told there would have to be a short delay for logistical reasons (ie a staff shortage), which is why I only went in last week. That delay had messed up a number of things I had planned to do but at least it didn’t result in me missing my first day proper back at Cardiff University, which is tomorrow!

Anyway, I will try to post a few bits and pieces about things that have happened over the last week or so, but in the meantime I plan to enjoy my last day of “freedom” by making a curry!

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Interlude

Posted in Uncategorized on August 24, 2016 by telescoper

Rather later than originally planned I’ve finally got the nod to be a guest of the National Health Service for a while. I’ll therefore  be taking a break from blogging until they’re done with me. Normal services will be resumed as soon as possible, probably but, for the time being, there will now follow a short intermission.

 

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Glamorgan versus Sussex

Posted in Cricket with tags , , , on August 23, 2016 by telescoper

Another of life’s little coincidences came my way today in the form of a County Championship match between Glamorgan and Sussex in Cardiff. Naturally, being on holiday, and the SWALEC Stadium being very close to my house, I took the opportunity to see the first day’s play.

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Sussex used the uncontested toss to put Glamorgan in to bat. It was a warm sunny day with light cloud and no wind. One would have imagined conditions would have been good for batting, but the Sussex skipper may have seen something in the pitch or, perhaps more likely, knew about Glamorgan’s batting frailties…

As it turned out, there didn’t seem to be much pace in the pitch, but there was definitely some swing and movement for the Sussex bowlers from the start. Glamorgan’s batsman struggled early on, losing a wicket in the very first over, and slumped to 54 for 5 at one stage, recovering only slightly to 87 for 5 at lunch.

After the interval the recovery continued, largely because of Wagg (who eventually fell for an excellent 57) and Morgan who was unbeaten at the close. Glamorgan finished on 252 all out on the stroke of the tea interval. Not a great score, but a lot better than looked likely at 54 for 5.

During the tea interval I wandered onto the field and looked at the pitch, which had quite a bit of green in it:

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Perhaps that’s why Sussex put Glamorgan in?

Anyway, when Sussex came out to bat it was a different story. Openers Joyce and Nash put on 111 for the first wicket, but Nelson did the trick for Glamorgan and Joyce was out just before stumps bringing in a nightwatchman (Briggs) to face the last couple of overs.

A full day’s cricket of 95 overs in the sunshine yielded 363 runs for the loss of 12 wickets. Not bad at all! It’s just a pity there were only a few hundred people in the crowd!

Sussex are obviously in a strong position but the weather forecast for the later part of this week is not good so they should push on tomorrow and try to force a result!

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Poll – Do you Listen to Music while you Study?

Posted in Uncategorized on August 22, 2016 by telescoper

A propos de nothing in particular, the other day I posted a little poll on Twitter inquiring whether or not people like to have music playing while they work. The responses surprised me, so I thought I’d try the same question on here (although I won’t spill the beans on here immediately. I’ve made the question quite general in the hope that as wide a range of people as possible (e.g. students, researchers and faculty) will feel able to respond. By “study” I mean anything that needs you to concentrate, including practical work, coding, data analysis, reading papers, writing papers, etc. It doesn’t mean any mindless activity, such as bureaucracy.

Please fill the poll in before reading my personal response, which comes after the “read more” tag.

Oh, and if you pick “Depends” then please let me know what it depends on through the comments box (e.g. type of music, type of study..)

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