Prof Malcolm Longair CBE, FRS, FRSE
Biography
Malcolm Longair has held many highly respected positions within the fields of physics and astronomy. He was appointed the ninth Astronomer Royal of Scotland in 1980, as well as the Regius Professor of Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, and the director of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh. He was head of the Cavendish Laboratory from 1997 to 2005. He has served on and chaired many international committees, boards and panels, working with both NASA and the European Space Agency. He has received much recognition for his work over the years, including a CBE in the millennium honours list for his services to astronomy and cosmology.
Research
My main research interests are in high energy astrophysics and astrophysical cosmology. Over recent years, these have centred on the astrophysics of the most luminous extragalactic radio sources. Most recently, I have become involved in studies of the origins of cosmic magnetism and the capabilities of the SKA in advancing these studies. I have chaired numerous committees for specific science projects, including the Planck and Euclid mission of ESA. A current major project concerns a scientific history of the Cavendish Laboratory.
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This theme focuses on observational studies of the unexplored Universe; from its very first moments, through the mysterious early epochs when the Cosmos became the complex realm of celestial objects we know it to be.