 |
Associate Professor Colin Waters
|
| Position: |
Associate Professor in Physics
|
| Faculty/Division: |
Faculty of Science and Information Technology
School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
| Contact Details: |
Staff Directory Entry |
| Qualfications: |
- B.Ed. (Sc.)
- Dip.Sc. (Hons I)
- Ph.D. (Space Physics, University of Newcastle)
|
| Research Areas: |
My research is contributes to the work of the Space Physics Group at the University of Newcastle, which is the leading research centre in Australia for studying the near-Earth space environment - the magnetosphere. Understanding this region is immensely important as communications and other space technology operates in the often hostile near-Earth space. A brief summary of my research projects includes:
- Using ultra-low frequency wave signatures to remote sense the near-Earth space environment
- Provide near real-time diagnostics of near-Earth space using ground based instrumentation
- Development of computer models to predict disturbances of the ionosphere from incident ULF wave energy that contributes to over the horizon radar clutter
- Validation of this model using ground magnetic and ionosphere (radar) data
- Development of multi-dimensional computer model of ULF wave propagation in the magnetosphere that incorporates realistic ionosphere boundary conditions
- The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) is a multi-million dollar, international research program designed to investigate plasma motion in the ionosphere plasma due to space physics processes. Research includes (i) Identifying ULF plasma wave signatures in the radar data (ii) Understanding the physical meaning of the radar spectral width and how this relates to incident particle energy and diffusion (iii) software development for radar data analysis (iv) data base manager
- Data manager for the Australian satellite, FedSat-1, a project of the CRC for Satellite Systems
- Determining the location and intensity of Birkeland currents using Iridium satellite data (associated with the Aurora)
- Determining the electromagnetic energy input to the high latitude ionosphere from these currents
- Investigating the relationship between energy input from near-Earth space with neutral gas dynamics in the thermosphere
|
| Research Groups: |
|
| Research Grants: |
|
| Honours, Distinctions, Societies: |
- Associate editor, Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics
- Member, Australian Institute of Physics
- Member, American Geophysical Union
- Visiting Research Scientist (JHU/APL) (2000, 2004)
- SPA Program committee representative, Western Pacific Geophysics meeting (WPGM08)
- Chair, Organising Committee for SuperDARN08 meeting (2008)
- New South Wales Physics HSC Examination committee (1998)
- Assistant Dean Marketing and Community for Faculty of Science and Information Technology
- Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award, Canadian Network for Space Research (1993)
- Awarded Australian Institute of Physics Prize in Physics IV (1986)
|
| Teaching Interests: |
|
| Supervision of Students: |
|
| Professional Positions: |
- 1987 Lecturer in Physics, Avondale College of Advanced Education, Cooranbong, Australia
- 1993 Post-Doctoral Fellow, Canadian Network for Space Research, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- 1994-1996 Lecturer Level A, Physics Department, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
- 1997-2002 Lecturer Level B, Physics Discipline, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
- 2000 Research Fellow, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, U.S.A
- 2003 Senior Lecturer, Physics Discipline, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
- 2007 Associate Professor, Physics Discipline, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
|
|
| Publications: |
Link to: Researcher Report
Link to: Homepage |
