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Professor Walter Gear

Professor Walter Gear

Honorary Professor

School of Physics and Astronomy

Email
walter.gear@astro.cf.ac.uk
Telephone
+44 (0)29 2087 5526
Comment
Media commentator

Overview

  • Former Dean for International, College of Physical Sciences & Engineering
  • Former Head of Astronomy Instrumentation Group

Biography

I graduated from Queen Mary, University of London with First Class BSc Astrophysics in 1981, and with a PhD in Millimetre and Submillimetre studies of AGN in 1985. I moved to a postdoc at the then Preston Polytechnic (now University of Central Lancashire) in 1984, continuing to work in the same field and then joined the Royal Observatory Edinburgh in 1986 where I proposed and led the construction of the SCUBA camera for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii, which was commissioned in 1996 and began operations in 1997.

After returning to Edinburgh in 1997 I moved to University College London Mullard Space Science Laboratory and then in 1999 moved to take up a new chair in Astronomical Instrumentation in Cardiff. What started with just myself and a technician is now the largest group in the School with over 40 members. I was co-PI with Prof Sarah Church (Stanford) of the QUaD CMB polarisation experiment, and am also a co-I for the SPIRE instrument on the Herschel satellite, as well as being co-chair of the SPIRE local galaxies group.

In August 2005 I became Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy and was renewed in August 2010. I stepped down as Head at the end of 2013. From 2013-15 I was International Dean for the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering, with cross-college responsibility for International Research. After a sabbatical year in 2015, spent in large part in Hawaii at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope I returned to duties as Dean for Postgraduate Research in the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering.

In 2019, I became an Honorary Professor at Cardiff University after taking a position at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Professional memberships

Over the years I have sat on many national and international peer review committees and telescope boards.

I am currently:

  • Member of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope International oversight Board.

In 2009 I stood down after 2 years being:

  • Chair, Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics Science Committee (PPAN)

For more information about STFC and the role of PPAN, visit the Science and Technology Facilities Council website.

I was also Member and STFC representative, European Science Foundation Standing Committee on Physical Science and Engineering.

Publications

2020

2019

2018

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

  • Marscher, A. P., Gear, W. K. and Travis, J. P. 1992. Variability of nonthermal continuum emission in blazars. Presented at: Variability of Blazars:Conference in Honour of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Academician Yrjö Väisälä, Turku, Finland, 6-10 January 1991 Presented at Valtaoja, E. and Valtonen, M. J. eds.Variability of Blazars: Proceedings of a Conference in Honour of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Academician Yrjö Väisälä, Held at Tuorla Observatory, University of Turku, Finland, January 6-10, 1991. Cambridge University Press pp. 85.

1991

1990

  • McHardy, I. M.et al. 1990. VLBI, MERLIN and VLA observations of the blazar 1156 + 295: a bending relativistic jet. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 246(2), pp. 305-314.
  • Chandler, C. J.et al. 1990. B335 - Protostar or embedded pre-main-sequence star?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 243, pp. 330-335.
  • Hughes, D. H., Robson, E. I. and Gear, W. K. 1990. A submillimetre and millimetre halo in M82. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 244, pp. 759-766.
  • Gear, W. K. 1990. Submillimetre observations of active galaxies. Presented at: Submillimetre Astronomy: Kona Symposium on Millimetre and Submillimetre Astronomy, Kona, Hawaii, 3 – 6 October 1988 Presented at Watt, G. D. and Webster, A. S. eds.Submillimetre Astronomy: Proceedings of the Kona Symposium on Millimetre and Submillimetre Astronomy, Held at Kona, Hawaii, October 3–6, 1988. Astrophysics and Space Science Library Vol. 158. Netherlands: Springer pp. 203-207., (10.1007/978-94-015-6850-0_75)
  • Gear, W. K. and Cunningham, C. R. 1990. SCUBA: A submillimetre camera. Presented at: ESA SP-314: 29th Liège International Astrophysical Colloqium `From Ground-Based to Space-Borne Sub-mm Astronomy', Liège, 3-5 July 1990 Presented at Kaldeich-Schürmann, B. ed.From Ground-Based to Space-Borne Sub-mm Astronomy: Proceedings of the 29th Liège International Astrophysical Colloquium held at the Institut d'Astrophysique, Liège, Belgium, 3-5 July 1990. ESA. SP Vol. 314. European Space Agency pp. 353-358.
  • Gear, W. K. and Cunningham, C. R. 1990. SCUBA: the submillimeter common-user bolometer array for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. Presented at: Instrumentation in Astronomy VII, Tucson, AZ, 13-17 Feb, 1990 Presented at Crawford, D. L. ed.Proceedings of SPIE 1235: Instrumentation in Astronomy VII. Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering Vol. 1235. Bellingham, WA: The International Society for Optical Engineering pp. 515-523., (10.1117/12.19115)

1989

1988

1987

  • Courvoisier, T. J. L.et al. 1987. The radio to X-ray continuum emission of the quasar 3C273 and its temporal variations. Astronomy and Astrophysics 176(2), pp. 197-209.
  • Robson, E. I. and Gear, W. K. 1987. The thermal component of the Seyfert galaxy NGC1275. Presented at: Observational evidence of activity in galaxies: The 121st Symposium of the International Astronomical Union, Byurakan, Armenia, U.S.S.R., 3-7 June 1986 Presented at Khachikian, E. E., Fricke, K. J. and Melnick, J. eds.Observational Evidence of Activity in Galaxies: Proceedings of the 121st Symposium of the International Astronomical Union, held in Byurakan, Armenia, U.S.S.R., June 3-7, 1986. IAU symposia Vol. 121. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer pp. 537-540.
  • Robson, E. I., Gear, W. K. and Brown, L. M. J. 1987. Multifrequency observations of Blazars. Presented at: Observational evidence of activity in galaxies : 121st Symposium of the International Astronomical Union, Byurakan, Armenia, U.S.S.R., 3-7 June 1986 Presented at Khachikian, E. E., Fricke, K. J. and Melnick, J. eds.Observational Evidence of Activity in Galaxies: Proceedings of the 121st Symposium of the International Astronomical Union, held in Byurakan, Armenia, U.S.S.R., June 3-7, 1986. IAU symposia Vol. 121. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer pp. 317-323.

1986

1985

1984

1983

Teaching

I have taught:

  • PX4215: High-energy Astrophysics
  • PX2220: Planetary Systems
  • PX2224: Electromagnetism
  • Global Properties of Star Formation in Galaxies: in particular, M31 and local galaxies and the Kennicutt-Schmidt Law
  • Observational Cosmology: Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), in particular CMB polarization, High Z Submillimetre Galaxies.
  • Astronomical Instrumentation at millimetre and submillimetre waveleghts.
  • The QUAD experiment.
  • The CLOVER experiment.
  • The SPIRE instrument on the Herschel satellite.
  • Physics of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN): in particular understanding the structure and dynamics of relativistic jets.

Supervision

Areas of expertise

External profiles