معرفی
Dr. Claire Davies is a Senior Lecturer (Education & Scholarship) in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Exeter's College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences. She serves as Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for her department and chairs PRISM Exeter, a city-wide network for LGBTQ+ STEMM professionals. Her academic appointments include roles as Teaching Quality Officer and Academic Lead for Student Transition & Induction.
Dr. Davies holds a PhD in Astronomy from the University of St Andrews (2015), an MPhys from the University of Birmingham (2011), and a PGCERT in Academic Practice from the University of Exeter (2023). She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (Advance HE, 2023).
Her primary research focuses on star and planetary system formation, specializing in high-angular resolution observations of young stars and circumstellar disks using interferometric techniques. She has contributed significantly to instrumentation development, particularly for the MIRC-X instrument at the CHARA Array. Since 2022, her position has shifted to education-focused scholarship, though she continues to supervise student research projects in astrophysics.
Her publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to understanding protoplanetary disk structures, binary star interactions, and stellar evolution through interferometric observations. Recent work focuses on disk wind environments, planetesimal belt populations, and dynamical mass measurements of binary systems.
Awards & Honors:
- Institute of Physics Phillips Award (2021)
- University of Exeter CEMPS Diversity and Outreach Award (2019)
- Multiple nominations for Royal Society Athena Prize, Exeter Guild Teaching Awards, and West Country Women Awards
Dr. Davies leads PRISM Exeter and has developed open-source astronomical tools like SEDBYS, a Python-based spectral energy distribution builder for young stars. She maintains active engagement in public outreach through astronomy talks and night sky tours.
