Peter Coles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Coles
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| Born | 4 June 1963  |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation |
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| Website | telescoper |
| Academic career | |
| 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 work focuses on understanding the very large structures in our Universe.
He earned his PhD between 1985 and 1988. After that, he worked as a researcher and lecturer at different universities. He became a professor at Cardiff University in 2007. 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, where he became the head of the Department of Theoretical Physics in 2019.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Peter Coles was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, a city in England. He went to school at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle.
He studied Natural Sciences at Magdalene College, Cambridge, focusing on Theoretical Physics. In 1985, he started his PhD studies at the University of Sussex. His supervisor, who guided his research, was John D. Barrow. Peter Coles finished his PhD thesis in 1988.
He enjoys many types of music, especially classical and jazz. He often listens to Radio 3, a British radio station.
Peter Coles' Career
Peter Coles has been a cosmologist and theoretical astrophysicist since 1985. This means he studies the Universe and uses math to understand how it works.
Early University Roles
From 1988 to 1990, he was a researcher at the University of Sussex. Then, he moved to the Queen Mary & Westfield College, University of London. He worked there from 1990 to 1999. During this time, he was a lecturer and later became a Reader.
Leading Astronomy Groups
Between 1999 and 2007, Peter Coles was a professor of astrophysics at the University of Nottingham. There, he helped start a new group focused on astronomy research.
From 2007 to 2013, he was a professor of theoretical astrophysics at Cardiff University. He also served as the deputy head of the school of physics and astronomy.
Recent Work and Leadership
In February 2013, he became the head of the school of mathematical and physical sciences at the University of Sussex. He left Sussex in 2016 to return to Cardiff for a special role.
On December 1, 2017, he began working part-time at both Maynooth University and Cardiff. By July 2018, he moved to Maynooth University full-time. He became the head of the Department of Theoretical Physics there on September 1, 2019.
He was a member of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Institute of Physics. However, he left both groups in 2024. This was because of the high fees they charged for publishing scientific papers in their open-access journals.
Peter Coles lives in Maynooth, Ireland. He has also lived in other places like Brighton, Beeston, Bethnal Green in London, and Cardiff.
Research and Discoveries
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.
Understanding the Universe
He works on theoretical models that help explain what we see in the observable universe. This includes studying the cosmic microwave background, which is leftover radiation from the early Universe. He also researches galaxy clusters, which are huge groups of galaxies.
He explores cosmological models that include magnetic fields. He also looks at how probability and statistics can be used in astronomy and physics.
Teaching and Writing
Peter Coles has taught university courses in 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.
Space Missions and Blogging
He is the only member based in Ireland of the Euclid (spacecraft) collaboration. This project uses a space telescope to study how galaxies are grouped together.
Peter Coles also has a blog called In the Dark. He writes under the name Telescoper, which is an anagram of his name. On his blog, he writes about many topics, including 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.
