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University of Southampton |
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The Astronomy Group at the University of Southampton is the leading UK research group specialising in the study of accreting compact objects and jets, from Galactic objects such as white dwarfs, black hole and neutron star X-ray binary systems, all the way through to extragalactic supermassive black holes in Active Galaxies. The group consists of 10 faculty members, 8 postdoctoral researchers and 15 postgraduate students. The make-up of the group is very international, typically about half of our students and most of our postdocs come from outside the UK, as well as several faculty. The group has expertise in all aspects of multi-wavelength astronomy, from radio (Prof. Fender, Prof. McHardy) through optical and X-rays (Dr. Uttley, Prof. Coe, Prof. McHardy, Dr. Maccarone, Dr. Knigge) to TeV gamma-rays (Dr. Emmanoulopoulos). Several group members play an important role in ESA's INTEGRAL gamma-ray observatory mission (Dr. Bird, Prof. Dean) and we are the leading UK institution in the international LOFAR low-frequency array radio observatory (LOFAR-UK is led by Prof. Fender). Our research specialising in compact objects has placed us at the forefront of world rankings: the Thomson-Reuters Essential Science Indicators show that we are in the top 1% of world Astronomy & Space Science research groups in terms of the average number of paper citations per staff member.
The specialisation of the group in the diverse yet connected field of compact objects and jets means that we work closely together and this contributes to a friendly, lively and sociable atmosphere. The group is itself part of the School of Physics and Astronomy, which was rated overall as one of the top 5 physics and astronomy research departments in the country in the last National Research Assessment Exercise. The School is sited on the main campus of the University in the leafy northern suburbs of the city, within a fifteen minute bus ride of the city centre and major transport links such as Southampton International airport (with regular flights to the European continent) and mainline rail stations. Southampton itself is a small but well-equipped maritime city located on the south coast of England, just over an hour away from London by train and right next door to outstanding beauty spots such as the New Forest national park, the Jurassic Coast world heritage site, and the Isle of Wight.
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