Professor Tom Stallard

Professor

Department: Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering

Tom started his research history completing a PhD in Planetary Astronomy at University College London in 2001. He worked as a research associate there until 2007.

In 2007, he became an RCUK academic fellow at the University of Leicester. In 2012, he was promoted to Associate Professor there and in 2021, he became the College of Science and Engineering Graduate Director of Postgraduate Research.

In 2022, he moved to Northumbria University to become a Professor of Planetary Astronomy in the Solar and Space Physics group.

Email Tom

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Tom Stallard is a planetary astronomer who utilises a combination of ground-based telescopes and instruments on spacecraft to understand the upper atmospheres and ionospheres of the giant planets.

This region of the atmosphere is fascinating because, within its thin air, we see the coupling between two grand systems. At the Sun, the driving forces that dominate the upper atmosphere come from beneath. At Earth, it is the Solar Wind outside the planet that forces energy down into the top of the atmosphere. At the giant planets, because the ionosphere collides with the neutral atmosphere, but carries and is carried by currents from the surrounding magnetosphere, these two chaotic, massive systems are forced to interact. By measuring this interaction, we can reveal the complicated nature of giant planet atmospheres, but also better understand this complex interaction in places where the atmosphere or magnetosphere typically dominate.

Beyond this work measuring the upper atmospheres of Giant Planets, he also plays an important role in the development of such missions, from driving the scientific programme before launch, through ongoing mission planning, and the detailed calibration and analysis of this data.

More broadly, he is also interested in understanding the development of life within the universe, as well as exploring how intellegent life might develop in comparison to the Anthropocene on Earth. He also works to understand and improve PhD supervision within Physics.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Ionospheric irregularities at Jupiter observed by JWST, Melin, H., O’Donoghue, J., Moore, L., Stallard, T., Fletcher, L., Roman, M., Harkett, J., King, O., Thomas, E., Wang, R., Tiranti, P., Knowles, K., de Pater, I., Fouchet, T., Fry, P., Wong, M., Holler, B., Hueso, R., James, M., Orton, G., Mura, A., Sánchez-Lavega, A., Lellouch, E., de Kleer, K., Showalter, M. 1 Aug 2024, In: Nature Astronomy
Temperature and Composition Disturbances in the Southern Auroral Region of Jupiter Revealed by JWST/MIRI, Rodríguez-Ovalle, P., Fouchet, T., Guerlet, S., Cavalié, T., Hue, V., López-Puertas, M., Lellouch, E., Sinclair, J., de Pater, I., Fletcher, L., Wong, M., Harkett, J., Orton, G., Hueso, R., Sánchez-Lavega, A., Stallard, T., Bockelee-Morvan, D., King, O., Roman, M., Melin, H. 20 Jun 2024, In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Asymmetric Ionospheric Jets in Jupiter's Aurora, Wang, R., Stallard, T., Melin, H., Baines, K., Achilleos, N., Rymer, A., Ray, L., Nichols, J., Moore, L., O’Donoghue, J., Chowdhury, M., Thomas, E., Knowles, K., Tiranti, P., Miller, S. 1 Dec 2023, In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Cosmos, Williams, M., Stallard, T., Zalasiewicz, J. 18 Aug 2023, Handbook of the Anthropocene, Cham, Switzerland, Springer
Detection of the infrared aurora at Uranus with Keck-NIRSPEC, Thomas, E., Melin, H., Stallard, T., Chowdhury, M., Wang, R., Knowles, K., Miller, S. 1 Dec 2023, In: Nature Astronomy
UV-Dark Polar Ovals on Jupiter Trace the Depth of Magnetosphere-Atmosphere Connection, Tsubota, T., Wong, M., Stallard, T., Zhang, X., Simon, A. 22 Sep 2023
Saturn's Weather‐Driven Aurorae Modulate Oscillations in the Magnetic Field and Radio Emissions, Chowdhury, M., Stallard, T., Baines, K., Provan, G., Melin, H., Hunt, G., Moore, L., O’Donoghue, J., Thomas, E., Wang, R., Miller, S., Badman, S. 16 Feb 2022, In: Geophysical Research Letters
What the Upper Atmospheres of Giant Planets Reveal, O’Donoghue, J., Stallard, T. 14 Dec 2022, In: Remote Sensing
Global upper-atmospheric heating on Jupiter by the polar aurorae, O'Donoghue, J., Moore, L., Bhakyapaibul, T., Melin, H., Stallard, T., Connerney, J., Tao, C. 5 Aug 2021, In: Nature
Magnetic Reconnection Near the Planet as a Possible Driver of Jupiter’s Mysterious Polar Auroras, Masters, A., Dunn, W., Stallard, T., Manners, H., Stawarz, J. Aug 2021, In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics

PGR Supervision

Katie Knowles Traces of Magnetic Field in Jupiter's Equatorial Ionosphere Start Date: 01/10/2022

Qualifications

PhD July 31 2001
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy SFHEA
UKCGE recognised research supervisor

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