Peter Coles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Coles
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| Born | 4 June 1963  |
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| Website | https://telescoper.wordpress.com/ |
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| Fields | Cosmology |
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| Doctoral advisor | John D. Barrow |
Peter Coles (born in 1963) is a scientist who studies the Universe. He is a theoretical cosmologist at Maynooth University in Ireland. His main work involves understanding the very large-scale structure of our Universe.
He earned his PhD between 1985 and 1988. After that, he worked as a researcher and lecturer at several universities. These included the University of Sussex and Queen Mary University of London. He became a professor at Cardiff University in 2007. Later, in 2013, he led the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Sussex. Since 2017, he has been working at Maynooth University. In 2019, he became the head of their Department of Theoretical Physics.
Early Life and Education
Peter Coles was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, a city in England. He went to the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle for his early education.
For his first university degree, he studied Natural Sciences at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He focused on Theoretical Physics, which deals with the ideas and math behind how the Universe works. In 1985, he started his PhD studies at the University of Sussex. His supervisor, a guide for his research, was John D. Barrow. He finished his DPhil (a type of PhD) in 1988.
Peter Coles enjoys many kinds of music, especially classical and jazz. He often listens to Radio 3, a British radio station. However, he doesn't like the sound of harpsichords, which are old musical instruments.
Career Highlights
Peter Coles has been a cosmologist and theoretical astrophysicist since 1985. These scientists study the origin, evolution, and future of the Universe. From 1988 to 1990, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sussex. This is a research position for scientists who have just finished their PhD.
After that, he moved to the mathematics department at the Queen Mary & Westfield College, University of London. He worked there from 1990 to 1999. During this time, he held various teaching and research roles.
From 1999 to 2007, he was a professor of astrophysics at the University of Nottingham. While there, he helped start a new group focused on astronomy research.
Peter Coles then became a professor of theoretical astrophysics at Cardiff University. He worked there from 2007 to 2013. He also served as the deputy head of their school of physics and astronomy.
In February 2013, he took on a leadership role at the University of Sussex. He became the head of the school of mathematical and physical sciences. He left Sussex in 2016 and returned to Cardiff for a special joint position. On December 1, 2017, he started working part-time at both Maynooth University and Cardiff. By July 2018, he moved to Maynooth full-time. He became the head of the Department of Theoretical Physics there on September 1, 2019.
Research and Teaching
Peter Coles' main research is in cosmology. He studies the large-scale structure of the Universe. This means he looks at how galaxies and galaxy clusters are arranged across vast distances. He also studies theoretical models that explain what we can see in the observable universe. This includes the cosmic microwave background, which is leftover radiation from the Big Bang.
He also researches cosmological models that involve magnetic fields. He looks at how probability and statistics can be used in astronomy and physics.
He has taught many courses to university students. These subjects include mathematics, statistics, and astronomy. He co-wrote a textbook called "Cosmology: the origin and evolution of cosmic structure" with Francesco Lucchin. A second edition of this book was published in 2002.
Peter Coles is the only scientist based in Ireland who is part of the Euclid (spacecraft) collaboration. This project uses a space telescope to study the clustering of galaxies.
He also writes a blog called In the Dark. He uses the name Telescoper for his blog, which is an anagram of his name. On his blog, he writes about many different topics. These include astronomy, science funding, opera, jazz, rugby, and crosswords. In 1999, his blog was listed as one of "Five great physics blogs" by the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
