Sami Khan Solanki (born 1958 in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
, Pakistan) is director of the
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (abbreviation: MPS; german: Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung) is a research institute in astronomy and astrophysics located in Göttingen, Germany, where it relocated in February 201 ...
(MPS), director of the Sun-Heliosphere Department of
MPS, a scientific member of the
Max Planck Society, and a Chair (and spokesperson) of the International Max Planck Research School on Physical Processes in the Solar System and Beyond at the Universities of
Braunschweig
Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...
and
Göttingen
Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911.
General information
The ori ...
.
Solanki is also an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Astronomy at the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
(colloquially)
, former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule
, image = ETHZ.JPG
, image_size =
, established =
, type = Public
, budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021)
, rector = Günther Dissertori
, president = Joël Mesot
, a ...
, and (2) Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics at the
Braunschweig University of Technology
Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...
in Germany. In addition, he is a Distinguished Professor at the
Kyung Hee University
Kyung Hee University (abbreviated to KHU) (Hangul: 경희대학교; Hanja: 慶熙大學校) is a private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. Founded in 1949, it is widely regarded as one of the best universities ...
in Korea.
He is the editor-in-chief of the ''
Living Reviews in Solar Physics
''Living Reviews in Solar Physics'' is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal publishing reviews on all areas of solar and heliospheric physics. It was founded and published at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research from 200 ...
'', an exclusively web-based, peer-reviewed journal, publishing reviews of research in all areas of solar and heliospheric physics. ''
Living Reviews in Solar Physics
''Living Reviews in Solar Physics'' is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal publishing reviews on all areas of solar and heliospheric physics. It was founded and published at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research from 200 ...
'' was recently rated with an impact factor of ''17.636'' taking the third place in the "Astronomy & Astrophysics" category.
Solanki's main topics of research are:
* Solar and heliospheric physics, in particular solar magnetism and Sun-Earth relations
* Stellar astrophysics, mainly stellar activity and magnetism
* Astronomical tests of theories of gravitation
* Atomic and molecular physics of astronomical interest
* Protoplanetary discs and extrasolar planets
* Radiative transfer of polarised light
He has also held these positions: (1) Vice-Chairman and member of the Senate Committee of the
German Aerospace Centre
The German Aerospace Center (german: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., abbreviated DLR, literally ''German Center for Air- and Space-flight'') is the national center for aerospace, energy and transportation research of Germany ...
(DLR); (2) Member Appointment Committee and Committee of Three of the DLR; (3) Member Extraterrestrial Program Committee of the DLR; (4) Science Advisory Committee of the
High Altitude Observatory
The High Altitude Observatory (HAO) conducts research and provides support and facilities for the solar-terrestrial physics research community in the areas of solar and heliospheric physics, and the effects of solar variability on the Earth's ma ...
, Boulder/USA; (5) Science Advisory Board at the Istituto Ricerche Solari (IRSOL), Locarno/Switzerland; and has contributed to the following space/balloon projects:
*
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects.
Terminology
A ...
(PI)
* STEREO Secchi (Co-I)
*
SDO
A subdwarf O star (sdO) is a type of hot, but low-mass star. O-type subdwarfs are much dimmer than regular O-type main-sequence stars, but with a brightness about 10 to 100 times that of the Sun, and have a mass approximately half that of the Sun. ...
HMI (Co-I)
*
Solar Orbiter
The Solar Orbiter (SolO) is a Sun-observing satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). SolO, designed to obtain detailed measurements of the inner heliosphere and the nascent solar wind, will also perform close observations of th ...
PHI (PI)
Academic career
* 1987 Doctorate from the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
* 1987–1989 Post doc in St. Andrews, Scotland.
* 1992
Habilitation
* 1998 Professor of Astronomy at the
University of Oulu
The University of Oulu ( fi, Oulun yliopisto) is one of the largest universities in Finland, located in the city of Oulu. It was founded on July 8, 1958. The university has around 13,000 students and 2,900 staff. 21 International Master's P ...
in Finland
* 1999 Minnaert guest professor at the
University of Utrecht
Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...
* 1999 Director of the
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (abbreviation: MPS; german: Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung) is a research institute in astronomy and astrophysics located in Göttingen, Germany, where it relocated in February 201 ...
Awards and honours
* 2001 Honorary professor at the
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule
(colloquially)
, former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule
, image = ETHZ.JPG
, image_size =
, established =
, type = Public
, budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021)
, rector = Günther Dissertori
, president = Joël Mesot
, ac ...
* 2003 Honorary professor at the
Technische Universität Braunschweig
The Technische Universität Braunschweig (unofficially University of Braunschweig – Institute of Technology), commonly referred to as TU Braunschweig, is the oldest ' (comparable to an institute of technology in the American system) in Germany. ...
* 2006 Associateship of the
Royal Astronomical Society
(Whatever shines should be observed)
, predecessor =
, successor =
, formation =
, founder =
, extinction =
, merger =
, merged =
, type = NGO ...
* 2008 Presented the
Bernard Price Memorial Lecture in South Africa
* 2022
George Ellery Hale Prize The George Ellery Hale Prize, or Hale Prize, is awarded annually by the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society for outstanding contributions over an extended period of time to the field of solar astronomy. The prize is named in ...
In 2011, Solanki delivered a lecture, "Is the Sun to Blame for Global Warming?,” at the first
Starmus Festival in the Canary Islands. His talk was subsequently published in the book ''Starmus: 50 Years of Man in Space''.
Controversy
Solanki's research has been quoted as being part of the
Global warming controversy, for instance in an article in the
Telegraph.co.uk
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
in 2004 as taking a
sceptical position: But the same research has been quoted as being evidence for
global warming
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
in a news release from the
Max Planck Society though he is quoted as calling for further investigation, saying:
Selected PublicationsComplete list of publications
/ref>
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References
External links
Personal webpageat the
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (abbreviation: MPS; german: Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung) is a research institute in astronomy and astrophysics located in Göttingen, Germany, where it relocated in February 201 ...
*
How Strongly Does the Sun Influence the Global Climate?' Press Release 4 August 2004 by the
Max Planck Institute
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE)
* Max (gorilla) ...
*
Sonne und Treibhausgase heizen ein (en:The Sun and Greenhousegases warm up)' Press release 19 February 1998 by the
ETHZ
(colloquially)
, former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule
, image = ETHZ.JPG
, image_size =
, established =
, type = Public
, budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021)
, rector = Günther Dissertori
, president = Joël Mesot
, a ...
Department Sun and Heliosphere*
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
press release from 2004
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solanki, Sami Khan
1958 births
Living people
Pakistani astronomers
Science teachers
Pakistani science journalists
Academic staff of Utrecht University
Max Planck Society people
Pakistani emigrants to Germany
Writers from Karachi
German people of Pakistani descent
Academic staff of ETH Zurich
Max Planck Institute directors