Departmental news

A series of videos have been developed to highlight the department's research culture.

Our department commits to a positive research culture and to highlight this Dr Sue Burrows and Dr Reza Kashtiban were granted funding from the University's Research Culture Forum with the idea of developing videos of some of our researchers.

Dr Farzana Meru has recently been appointed as a member of the University Gender Taskforce.

Farzana was invited by the Gender Taskforce (GTF) to become a member due to her knowledge and expertise on gender related issues.

The Gender Taskforce champions and oversees the advancement, implementation, and further development of gender equality at institutional level in line with the Gender Statement of Intent catalysed by the Women in Academia workshops and reports to the university social inclusion committee.

Farzana tells us about why she accepted the invitation to become a member:

“I have always been interested in gender issues within Physics and STEM. I have also personally experienced (negative) gender related issues as a female Physicist and have mentored others through their challenges too. I am keen to use my experience that I have gained – both lived and through operational activities that I have been part of – to enable positive gender-related initiatives at the university’s strategic level.”

Final year Physics Undergraduate project students and their project supervisor, Professor Sandra Chapman at the University of Warwick have collaborated with researchers at John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (USA) to develop a new ‘data change’ flag.

15 students joined the ‘Coding with Sophie’ launch session at Limbrick Wood Primary School after school club, and completed their six session programme just before the summer holidays.

The ‘Coding with Sophie’ programme has been developed by Dr Rebecca Nealon and Dr Farzana Meru, with the aim to improve coding literacy and to inspire children to consider coding (and more broadly STEM) in their future, as well as empowering teachers and parents to support children in their coding journey.

A team from the Astronomy and Astrophysics group led by Dr Lauren Doyle attended the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham in June and were one of the most popular stands with students returning again and again to engage with their stall.

Professor Paul Goddard has been announced as the winner of the 2023 Brian Pippard Prize from the Institute of Physics (IOP) Superconductivity Group.

The Pippard Prize is named in honour of Professor Sir Brian Pippard, and is awarded on an annual basis by the IOP Superconductivity Group to a scientist working in the UK who has made a significant contribution to the field of superconductivity in the last few years.

14 sixth form students were welcomed to the department by Ally Caldecote (Outreach Officer) to give the students the chance to find out what university physics is all about and to consider their post A-level choices.

The visit was aimed to raise aspirations, find out about university, what it’s like to be an undergraduate and what it’s like to study physics.

Find out more.

41 primary school students have completed their six-week coding programme with colleagues in the Astronomy and Astrophysics group.

The programme ‘Coding with Sophie’ has been designed and run by Dr Rebecca Nealon and Dr Farzana MeruLink opens in a new window, with the aim to improve coding literacy and to inspire children to consider coding (and more broadly STEM) in their future, as well as empowering teachers and parents to support children in their coding journey. The opportunity to visit the University and meet real researchers aims to inspire children to believe that they can have a career in science, and that science is fun.

Read more.

Congratulations to all Physics students graduating on Wednesday 26 July. Whatever next chapter awaits you, be sure to keep in touch with Warwick and our ever-growing community of alumni.

The Global Network on Sustainability in Space, GNOSIS, founded by and based at Warwick, supports the global scientific community to apply their knowledge to achieving sustainability in space. In the four years since the launch of GNOSIS it has grown to be a diverse global network of over 650 members from academia, the space sector and government, who work together to address the impact of debris and space weather on the rapidly growing spacecraft population.

Space sustainability leaders from across the globe, including the Chair of GNOSIS Katherine Courtney, were gathered in London on 28^th June for a series of events hosted by the UK government and King Charles III.

Read more.