Senior research astronomer — Simon Johnston

The ATNF is delighted to announce that the position of Senior Research Astronomer, advertised earlier this year, has been accepted by Simon Johnston, formerly of the University of Sydney.

Simon obtained his PhD from Jodrell Bank in 1990. His thesis involved surveying the southern Galactic plane for pulsars and he spent substantial time in Australia during that period. In 1989 he discovered his favourite object, PSR B1259-63, a pulsar in a highly eccentric, long period orbit with a Be star companion. Its unique characteristics have kept him busy trying to understand its mysteries for the last 15 years. Having become used to the sun and beach lifestyle, in 1991 he accepted a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the ATNF to work with Dick Manchester on a further, highly successful pulsar survey. In 1993 he moved to the University of Sydney where for five years he was part of the Research Centre for Theoretical Astrophysics headed by Don Melrose. Shortly afterwards he started a collaboration with Baerbel Koribalski which not only produced HI absorption measurements towards pulsars but also the birth of their son Christopher in 1998. Also in 1998 he obtained a QEII Fellowship from the ARC to study the polarisation properties of single pulses from pulsars. In late 2003 he was awarded a Professorial Fellowship to work on aspects of pulsar timing and the detection of gravity waves.

Simon joins the ATNF in early November 2004. He will continue his research into radio pulsars and will take on the role of Project Scientist for the New Technology Demonstrator.

Lister Staveley-Smith
(Lister.Staveley-Smith@csiro.au)