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      Contact information 
      e-mail 
      
      
      
      mobiusltd@aol.com 
      . 
      website 
      
      
      
      
      http://hometown.aol.co.uk/mobiusltd/myhomepage/photopersonal.html 
      . 
      
      Locator 
      Map 
      http://www.frappr.com/apppublic 
      Level of accuracy: town of  
      Brockenhurst, 
      England  
      
      
       
      Biography 
      I was born in Barking, Essex 
      (U.K.) on 20th April 1954. 
       On leaving school 
      I 
      joined the Harwell & Culham laboratories where I 
      took an H.N.C. in Applied Physics at Oxford Brookes University (then 
      Oxford Polytechnic). After two years, having gained a taste for study,
      I went to the University of Sussex to take a 
      degree in Physics Math & Astronomy. In June 1978 I 
      graduated with a First Class Honours Degree and 
      then joined the Philips Research Laboratories in Redhill, Surrey (U.K.).  
      Concurrently, I enrolled in the doctoral program 
      at the University of Surrey, Guildford (U.K.) 
      where I received the Ph.D. in December 1982 -- 
      my subject being “Characterisation of Deep-Levels in 
      Silicon for Applications in Thermal Imaging”.  A 
      further five years were spent in Industry until 27th April 1987 when
      I joined the Department of Electronics (as it 
      then was) at the University of Southampton, Hampshire (U.K.). During
      my years at Southampton I 
      slowly climbed the ranks becoming Professor of 
      Photonics in December, 
      2000 . My research 
      during this time was in two main areas:  
      1) Novel growth systems for Silicon compatible materials  
      2) Silicon-based optoelectronics  
       
      I designed, built & developed 4 LPCVD systems 
      for the Microelectronics Group at the University, the latest system being 
      a large 6-chamber cluster-tool. These systems are used for research into 
      novel devices incorporating Si, SiGe, SiGeC and Silicon Nitride. I 
      have published over 110-refereed papers, over a dozen
      patents and published a textbook on 
      semiconductor physics.  
       
      Around 1994 I was investigating the formation of 
      high aspect-ratio single crystal Silicon pillars for their light emission 
      properties. This research included (unintentionally!) the fabrication of a 
      Photonic Crystal as part of the process. Since that time my 
      research has mainly concentrated on Silicon compatible Photonic Crystal 
      structures and their applications.  
       
      I live in the New Forest (U.K.) with  my wife, 
      son, Celestron Nexstar 11 computer-controlled telescope, and Sony VAIO 
      PCG-C1MHP.
 
      
      Astronomy Tale 
      “The most amazing two and a 
      half hours of my life (so far)” was sadly the title of a “Lateral 
      Thoughts” article in the September 2002 issue of Physics World (IOP 
      Publications).  It described the first time I got the Celestron Nexstar 11 
      GPS scope fired up so that I could automatically go to all those objects 
      I’d only read about before.  I can still recall that night of Thursday 2nd 
      May 2002 as if it were yesterday.  Amazingly, since that time more amazing 
      things have happened – I got a CCD camera and started deep-sky imaging.  
      Never in my wildest dreams as an 11 year old fascinated by astronomy did I 
      guess that I would be able to take deep-sky images from my own back garden 
      in my lifetime! 
      
       
      Areas of interest 
       
      
      Deep-sky astrophotography 
      
      
      
       
      Astrophotography publications 
      
      Magazines 
      
      Astronomy Now, 
      The Sky at Night 
      . 
      .Book 
      
      
      The Beauty of Deep-Sky Astrophotography 
      
      (Springer: 
      
      
      the Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series) 
      
      . 
      
      
      Exhibition 
      
      Three month 
      exhibition of my astrophotography in the University of Southampton's 
      exhibition centre beginning mid-July 2006 
      . 
      
      
      Internet 
      Starizona picture of the month (September/October 2005) 
      
      
      
      APOD for January 4th 2007 for a wide field of the Sadr region of Cygnus 
      
       
      Observing site 
      I observe from a fiberglass dome erected in my 
      garden in Brockenhurst,
      Hampshire, U.K. 
      . 
      . 
        
      . 
      Astronomical Equipment 
      
      Telescopes 
      
      Celestron 
      Nexstar 11 
      GPS 
      SCT 
      (modified 
      to be able to collimate a Hyperstar f/1.85 
      lens assembly) 
      
      Celestron 80mm refractor guide scope 
      
      Cameras 
      
      SXV-H9C colour CCD camera 
      SXV autoguider 
       
      
      Activity 
 Head of the Nanoscale Systems Integration Group, and Professor of 
      Photonics at The  
      University of Southampton, Southampton, U.K.    |