PPARC is pleased to announce
that a new Director of the JAC/JCMT has been appointed. Professor
Gary Davis is to succeed Professor Ian Robson when Ian moves to his
new post as Deputy Director at the ATC in late summer.PPARC is pleased to announce
that a new Director of the JAC/JCMT has been appointed. Professor
Gary Davis is to succeed Professor Ian Robson when Ian moves to his
new post as Deputy Director at the ATC in late summer.
Currently employed as Professor of Physics at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, Gary's research area is planetary astronomy, focussing on the measurement of planetary atmosphere composition using submillimetre molecular spectroscopy. To this end, he has been a user of the JCMT for over 12 years and as a result has an established profile in the international planetary science community.
Gary graduated from McMaster University in 1979 with a B.Sc (Honours) in Physics and from the University of Toronto in 1981 with an M.Sc in Physics. He received a D.Phil in Physics from Oxford University in 1987, and was a postdoctoral research assistant at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory from 1986 to 1991.
In addition to his experience in ground-based observational astronomy using the JCMT, Gary has led several space astronomy projects: he was a Co-Investigator on the ISO/LWS instrument, is PI for the Canadian component of the SPIRE project, and is PI for a proposed Canadian mission entitled MUSE. He works closely with a wide network of astronomers in both Canada and the UK.
Gary is currently a member of the American Astronomical Society, the AAS Division of Planetary Sciences, the American Geophysical Union, the Canadian Association of Physicists and the Canadian Astronomical Society. He is also the recipient of numerous teaching awards at the University of Saskatchewan.
On moving to the JAC, Gary will be accompanied by his wife, Dr. Caroline Davis who is currently Academic Director of Systematic Program Review at the University of Saskatchewan and a research analyst in the University's Department of Institutional Research and Planning (University Studies Group). Caroline has a D.Phil. in Philosophy from Oxford University and is a published author.
Gary will take up his post with PPARC in mid-August this year on a leave of absence from the University of Saskatchewan.