Eric Priest
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Eric Ronald Priest (born 7 November 1943) is Emeritus Professor at
St Andrews University (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...
, where he previously held the Gregory Chair of Mathematics and a Bishop Wardlaw Professorship.


Career and research

Priest is a recognised authority in solar
magnetohydrodynamics Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD; also called magneto-fluid dynamics or hydro­magnetics) is the study of the magnetic properties and behaviour of electrically conducting fluids. Examples of such magneto­fluids include plasmas, liquid metals, ...
(or MHD for short), the study of the subtle, and often nonlinear, interaction between the Sun's magnetic field and its plasma interior or atmosphere, treated as a continuous medium. Priest is an applied mathematician and, along with the other members of his research group at St Andrews, is currently investigating a large number of solar phenomena, including
sunspots Sunspots are phenomena on the Sun's photosphere that appear as temporary spots that are darker than the surrounding areas. They are regions of reduced surface temperature caused by concentrations of magnetic flux that inhibit convection. ...
, coronal heating, wave propagation,
magnetic reconnection Magnetic reconnection is a physical process occurring in highly conducting plasmas in which the magnetic topology is rearranged and magnetic energy is converted to kinetic energy, thermal energy, and particle acceleration. Magnetic reconnectio ...
, magnetic instabilities, magnetic structures and
helioseismology Helioseismology, a term coined by Douglas Gough, is the study of the structure and dynamics of the Sun through its oscillations. These are principally caused by sound waves that are continuously driven and damped by convection near the Sun's surfa ...
. This is done using mathematical modelling techniques and observational data from satellites such as SoHO, Yohkoh and TRACE, or ground-based observatories such as
Kitt Peak Kitt Peak ( ood, Ioligam) is a mountain in the U.S. state of Arizona, and at is the highest point in the Quinlan Mountains. It is the location of the Kitt Peak National Observatory. The radio telescope at the observatory is one of ten dishes co ...
and Big Bear. In 2000 he was the James Arthur Prize Lecturer at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. Professor Priest has received a number of academic awards for his research, including Hale Prize of the
American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...
(2002), and was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in the same year. He is notable in the solar physics community as something of an evangelist for the importance of
magnetic reconnection Magnetic reconnection is a physical process occurring in highly conducting plasmas in which the magnetic topology is rearranged and magnetic energy is converted to kinetic energy, thermal energy, and particle acceleration. Magnetic reconnectio ...
in driving many solar phenomena, and as an explanation of the solar
coronal heating problem A corona ( coronas or coronae) is the outermost layer of a star's atmosphere. It consists of plasma. The Sun's corona lies above the chromosphere and extends millions of kilometres into outer space. It is most easily seen during a total so ...
. As an applied mathematician, his research interests involve constructing mathematical models for the subtle and complex ways in which magnetic fields interact with plasmas in the atmosphere of the Sun and in more exotic cosmic objects. In particular, he is trying to understand how the corona of the Sun is heated to several million degrees and how magnetic energy is converted into other forms in solar flares. In the area of science and religion, he considers himself aware of the importance of trying in small ways to encourage dialogue and understanding between Islam and Christianity and recently spoke on science and culture to 850 schoolchildren in
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, Egypt. He has also preached in St Andrews on the tensions between Christianity and science and spoke on "Creativity in Science" at a conference on Creativity and the Imagination. He is active in the local Anglican church and enjoys hill-walking, bridge, singing in a couple of choirs and spending time with his wife Clare and four children. Priest retired from full-time teaching in 2010, and was awarded a two-year Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship in 2011. He retains a link with St Andrews as Emeritus Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics and remains active in research. In 2020, Priest received from the
European Physical Society The European Physical Society (EPS) is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to promote physics and physicists in Europe through methods such as physics outreach. Formally established in 1968, its membership includes the national physical so ...
the prestigious ESPD Senior Prize for "long-standing leadership via mentoring, supervising and field-defining textbooks and for fundamental contributions in key topics of solar magnetohydrodynamics, particularly magnetic reconnection in the solar atmosphere and solar coronal heating."


Recent selected publications

* Priest, E.R. (2006) 'Our enigmatic Sun', Recent Advances in Astronomy and Astrophysics (ed N. Solomos) American Institute of Physics, Melville USA. * Priest, E.R. (2006) 'Creativity in science', Proc. Conf. on Creativity and Imagination (ed. T Hart) * Priest, E.R. and Forbes, T.G. (2002) 'The magnetic nature of solar flares', Astron. and Astrophys. Rev. 10, 313–377 * Priest, E.R., Heyvaerts, J.F. and Title, A.M. (2002) 'A Flux Tube Tectonics Model for solar coronal heating driven by the magnetic carpet', Astrophys. J., 576, 533–551 * Priest, E.R. and Forbes, T.G. (2000) Magnetic Reconnection: MHD Theory and Applications, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. * Priest, E.R. (1982) Solar Magnetohydrodynamics,
D. Reidel D. Reidel was an academic publishing company based in Dordrecht established in the 1960s which was independent until the 1990s. History Reidel was established in the 1960s, with a focus on publishing research in physics. Reidel himself had been t ...
, Holland


Awards and honors

* James Arthur Prize Lecturer at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
(2000) *
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 ...
of the
American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...
(2002) * Elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
(FRS) in 2002 * Gold Medal for Astrophysics of the
Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NGO ...
(2009) *
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Medal and Prize The Institute of Physics awards numerous prizes to acknowledge contributions to physics research, education and applications. It also offers smaller specific subject-group prizes, such as for PhD thesis submissions. Bilateral awards * The Max B ...
(2009) * Fellow of the
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Univer ...
* Doctor of Science ''honoris causa'',
University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...
(2013)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Priest, Eric 1943 births Living people Harvard University alumni Academics of the University of St Andrews 20th-century British mathematicians 21st-century British mathematicians British Christians Fellows of the Royal Society Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society