IMA: Real Lives

Maths at Work

Famous Mathematicians

Name: Dr Clare Parnell
Job: Solar Physicist
Employer: University of St Andrews
Qualification:

St Andrews (founded 1411) is the oldest university in Scotland. It is an institution which has won international renown for both its research and its education of undergraduates and postgraduates.

"EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE SUN HAS BEEN LEARNT USING MATHEMATICS"

Everything from the simple counting of sunspots to complex design, development and launch of Sun - watching satellites is only possible using maths.

Maths allows us to calculate the best time and the best place in a satellites orbit to download data. Maths is used to develop ways to compress and uncompress data so we can take 30 high - resolution pictures a minute of the Sun from space.

My job involves developing mathematical models to explain how the huge explosions, great hanging structures and massive plasma blobs that we observe on the Sun are created.