Ben Thompson

Curriculum Vitae

Employment

2017-: Python developer - Django
2014-2017: Undergraduate laboratory Demonstration and Distance Learning Teaching. Jeremiah Horrocks Institute, University of Central Lancashire.
I am involved in demonstrating undergraduate Physics laboratory clases.
I have also assisted teaching on the weekend distance learning students attend UCLan.
I also assessed and marked distance learning students assignments and undergraduate laborotory assignments.
2013-2016: Open Day and Applicant Day Outreach. University of Central Lancashire.
I represent the university Physics department to pospective students on open and applicant days.
I also planned and organised a Physics at University session for high school students considering attending University.
I also obtained a DBS certificate in 2014
2013-2017: Web Administrator. Jeremiah Horrocks Institute, University of Central Lancashire.
I manage the content and administrate the Jeremiah Horrocks Institute website.
2011, 2012: Summer Research Intern. Jeremiah Horrocks Institute, University of Central Lancashire.
Worked with Dr. Victor Debattista as a summer research intern on the project Quantifying the Origin and Distribution of Intracluster Light. This work was funded by the Nuffield Foundation and the Royal Astronomical Society

Education

2013-2017: PhD Astronomy. University of Central Lancashire (funded by STFC).
Project title: Evolutionary Processes of The Milky Way.
Expected to submit by March 2017 and Graduate in July 2017.
Included 7 months abroad in Canada at Saint Marys University. Halifax, Nova Scotia.
2009-2013: MPhys Physics And AstronomyDurham University.
Upper Second Class Honours.
Project title: Galaxy Formation With Warm Dark Matter.
Final Year Modules: Theoretical Astronomy, Advanced Astrophysics, Particle Theory.
2006-2009: A Levels. Nelson and Colne College. UK.
Subjects and Grades: Mathematics (A), Physics (A), Chemistry (A), Philosophy (A), Further Mathematics (B), Computing (B), Critical Thinking (C).

Publications

B. B. Thompson et. al.The Gaia-ESO Survey: Matching Simulations to Observations of the Milky Way, (accepted) [arXiv]

K. A. Harris, V. P. Debattista, F. Governato, B. B. Thompson, A. J. Clarke, T. Quinn, B. Willman, A. Benson, D. Farrah, E. W. Peng, R. Elliott, S. Petty. Quantifying the Origin and Distribution of Intracluster Light, MNRAS, Volume 467, Issue 4, p.4501-4513 [ADS] [arXiv]

P. M. Sutter, G. Lavaux, N. Hamarus, A. Pisani, B. D. Wandelt, M. Warren, F. Villaescusa-Navarro, P. Zivick, Q. Mao, B. B. Thompson. VIDE: The Void IDentification and Examination toolkit, 2015, Astronomy and Computing, 9, 1. [ADS] [arXiv]

Conferences

28 June - 1 July 2016: National Astronomy Meeting. Nottingham University, UK
Presented a summary of the results of the paper
The Gaia-ESO Survey: Matching Simulations to Observations of the Milky Way.
25-27 June 2014: RAMSES users meeting. University of Paris, Saclay Nuclear Research Centre, France.
21-23 June 2014: National Astronomy Meeting. University of Portsmouth, UK.
21-24 April 2014: Friends of Friends 2014. Instituto de Astronomia Teorica y Experimental. Cordoba, Argentina..

Workshops

4 May 2016: Writing About Your Research. Carlton House Terrace, Royal Society, London, UK.
The course covered topics on writing about research for the public (news articles, blogs, social media)
17 Febuary 2016: Media Skills Training. Carlton House Terrace, Royal Society, London, UK.
The course covered public speaking, television and radio communication.
8-11 September 2014: Data Analysis Workshop. Imperial College London, UK.
The course covered bayesian statistics and analysis techiques
28 July - 1 August 2014: Big Data. Hartree Centre, STFC Daresbury Laborotory, Warrington UK.
The workshop covered big data concepts and reduction.
21 - 25 July 2014: High Preformance Computing. Hartree Centre, STFC Daresbury Laborotory, Warrington UK.
The workshop covered high preformance computing concepts (OpenMP, MPI).
29 April - 3 May 2014: Graduate Leadership Course. University of Central Lancashire Cyprus Campus, Cyprus..
The course covered leadership skills and techniques.
2-13 November 2013: Galaxy Dynamics: Surveys in the Times of GAIA. UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico.
The workshop covered concepts of galaxy dynamics.

Talks

17 August 2016: Turbulent Driven Outflow Of Gas In A Galactic Disk.
University of Central Lancashire, UK.
30 June 2016: Confronting Chemodynamical Simulations with Synthetic Observations.
National Astronomy Meeting 2016 - University of Nottingham, UK.
2 October 2015: Adaptive Mesh Chemodynamical Simulations and Synthetic Observations.
Saint Marys University Astronomy Colloquia, Canada.
12 August 2015: Comparing Milky way-like Galaxies With The Gaia-ESO Survey.
University of Central Lancashire, UK.
10 August 2015: Comparing Milky way-like Galaxies With The Gaia-ESO Survey.
University of Hull, UK.
9 February 2015: Cosmological Simulations of Galaxies using Adaptive Mesh Refinement.
University of York, UK.
13 August 2014: Cosmological Simulations of Voids and Cosmic Void Finding.
University of Central Lancashire, UK.
24 July 2014: Cosmological Simulations with Adaptive Mesh Refinement and Cosmological Void Finding.
Hartree Centre, STFC, UK
23 April 2014: The Effect of Environment on Dwarf Galaxies in Voids.
Friends of Friends 2014 meeting, IATE, Cordoba, Argentina
17 April 2014: The Effect of Environment on Dwarf Galaxies in Voids.
Universidad de Concepcion, Concepcion, Chile
19 March 2014: Void Galaxy Formation and Void Environments.
University of Central Lancashire, UK
12 November 2013: Orbital Chaotic Behaviour in the Solar Neighbourhood towards the Galactic Centre.
Gaia School, UNAM, Mexico.

Public Talks

13 November 2014: Cosmological Voids.
Pendle Cafe Scientifique, Kelbrook, UK.

Posters

21-23 June 2014: The Effect of Environment on Galaxies in Voids: Preliminary Work. University of Portsmouth, UK.

Undergraduate University Society Responsibilities

2012-2013: IT Officer. Saint Aidan's Junior Common Room.
2012-2013: Webmaster and Treasurer. Durham University Computing Society
2011-2013: Founder and Webmaster. Durham University Physics Society.
2011-2012: Webmaster. Durham University Astronomical Society.
2010-2011: Observation officer. Durham University Astronomical Society.