PPARC awards first Halliday Fellowship to Imperial scientist

Particle physicist receives £50k research fellowship - News Release

Issued by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council

For immediate use
10 October 2006

The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) has awarded the first Halliday Fellowship to Dr Toby Wiseman, a particle physicist who has recently taken up a PPARC Advanced Fellowship at Imperial College London. Dr Wiseman spent the previous three years as a post doctoral researcher at Harvard University in the US. The Halliday Fellowship provides an additional £50K which can be used for non–staff costs such as more advanced equipment, visiting other national and international laboratories, and for public outreach work.

On receiving the award Dr Toby Wiseman, whose area of research is computational methods in gravity and string theory, said: "I was very surprised when I heard about the award. It's fabulous. There is flexibility in how I use the research money; I may buy some computer hardware or time on a supercomputer."

The research which Dr Wiseman undertakes uses advanced computers to investigate deep mathematical connections between Einstein's theory of gravity and the quantum world of fundamental particles. The additional funds will enable Dr Wiseman to attend and organise theory workshops, where small groups of scientists working in the same field gather for a few days to discuss their work. "Workshops are incredibly important for stimulating ideas," said Dr.Wiseman, "You can be working on a project for six months and get stuck in that area, and then a chance throw–away comment in a discussion meeting can suddenly open up a whole new perspective and change the direction of your research."

The Halliday Fellowship was established to mark Professor Ian Halliday's tenure as Chief Executive of PPARC from 1998–2005, and recognises the significant contribution made by Professor Halliday to PPARC's education and training programme and to research scientists' career development more widely.

On hearing the announcement of the first Fellowship Professor Halliday, now Chief Executive of SUPA (The Scottish Universities Physics Alliance) said: "I am thrilled and honoured by this award. Dr Toby Wiseman's topic is important and challenging. I can only add my best wishes to his efforts."

For further information contact:
Gill Ormrod - PPARC Press Office
Tel: +44 (0)1793 442012
Mobile: +44 (0)781 8013509
Email: gill.ormrod@pparc.ac.uk

Notes to Editors:
1. The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) is the UK's strategic science investment agency. It funds research, education and public understanding in four areas of science - particle physics, astronomy, cosmology and space science. PPARC is government funded and provides research grants and studentships to scientists in British universities, gives researchers access to world-class facilities and funds the UK membership of international bodies such as the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), and the European Space Agency. It also contributes money for the UK telescopes overseas on La Palma, Hawaii, Australia and in Chile, the UK Astronomy Technology Centre at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh and the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, which includes the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank observatory.
2. Consistently rated in the top three UK university institutions, Imperial College London is a world leading science-based university whose reputation for excellence in teaching and research attracts students (11,000) and staff (6,000) of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that enhance the quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture. Website: www.imperial.ac.uk.