Young researcher honoured for his studies of the sun

Sunday, 15 January 2012

Dr Matt Owens

Dr Matt Owens, from the Department of Meteorology has won a prestigious prize for his research which includes revealing the secrets of the Sun's magnetic cycles.

Dr Owens has been awarded the Fowler Prize by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). The awards are given to individuals who have made a particularly noteworthy contribution to Astronomy and Geophysics sciences at an early stage of their research.

Dr Owens is an outstanding and prolific young scientist in the field of solar-terrestrial physics whose work has already had a major impact in revealing the secrets of the Sun's magnetic cycles. These results point to key factors controlling the variations in the output of particles and fields from the solar atmosphere that impinges on the Earth and may be vital for the Earth's climate.

Dr Owens said: "It's a real honour to be recognised in this way. Being a space physicist in a meteorology department, I'm particularly grateful to receive the Fowler prize, as Peter (the son in the father-son-wife trio after which the prize is named) performed important work in both cosmic ray measurement and meteorology."

Professor Giles Harrison, Head of the Department of Meteorology commented: "The sun has many subtle effects on the atmosphere and we are delighted that Matt Owens' pioneering work is already receiving such distinguished recognition."

RAS President, Professor Roger Davies added: "Dr Owens is a talented solar-terrestrial physicist with an impressive record. I'm delighted that the RAS has recognised his work with the Fowler Award and wish him every success in his future scientific career."

Dr Owens will be presented with the Fowler Prize (£500) at the 2012 National Astronomy Meeting that will take place from 27-30 March in Manchester.