Staff profile

Mr Theo Paul Davies Honorary Fellow Space Physics

Honorary Fellow

Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering

School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Department of Physics

Melbourne (Bundoora)

 

Qualifications

MSc Bioengineering, BSc Physics

Membership of professional Associations

Member, Australian Institute of Physics; Former member: Biological Engineering Society (UK), Association for High Speed Photography (UK)

Area of study

Physics

Brief Profile

Antarctic research scientist with more than 40 years tertiary research experience in the UK, Australia and during nine research expeditions to Antarctica.  Research has covered topics across physics, engineering and in particular spectrometry of the middle and upper atmosphere and in other applications made significant advancements with schlieren photography.

Ø      Developed, installed and monitored a totally automatic FPS for Antarctica, operated via a satellite link from LTU, Melbourne, stable enough to operate for a year at a time without adjustment and led to a considerable advance in reliability and cost savings for the AAD and the FPS operation.

Ø      Demonstrated leadership, guardianship and counselling as Warden of a University Hall of Residence, and transformed it from solely being a dormitory to building a cohesive community with a sense of belonging amongst disparate social backgrounds and international students from widely varying cultures.

Ø      Conducted significant research into, and achieved advancements, with Schlieren photography, with projects in medical science, industry and film and TV documentaries, with many publications. Education & Professional Qualifications:

Ø      Liaison and consultation: Australian Antarctic Division (Australia), Health and Safety Executive (UK), Government Communications Headquarters (UK), Channel 4 TV (UK), MOD Fort Halstead (UK), Kirtland Air Force Base (USA)

 

Consulting

Schlieren photography: design and development of schlieren systems including medical research and natural history photography; Fabry-Perot spectrometry; Physics demonstrations design and development

Recent Publications

Papers in refereed journals

·          C. Anderson, H.-C. I. Yiu, A. C. Kellerman1, M. J. Kosch, R. A. Makarevich, A. Aruliah, T. Davies, M. Conde, and P. L. Dyson: ‘First Observations of Simultaneous Inter-hemispheric Conjugate High-latitude Thermospheric Winds’, 2010 (refereed journal)

 

·          Kosch, M. J., C. Anderson, R. A. Makarevich, B. A. Carter, R. A. D. Fiori, M. Conde, P. L. Dyson and T. Davies,: ‘First E-region observations of meso-scale neutral wind interaction with auroral arcs’, J. Geophys. Res., 115, A02303, doi:10.1029/2009JA014697, 2010. (refereed journal)

 

·          C. Anderson, M. Conde, P. Dyson, T. Davies, & M. Kosch: ‘Thermospheric winds and temperatures above Mawson, Antarctica, observed with an all-sky imaging, Fabry-Perot spectrometer’ , Ann. Geophys., 27, 2225-2235, 2009 (refereed journal)

 

 

Conference papers, and presentations

 

·          C Anderson., T. Davies, M. Conde, P. Dyson and M. J. Kosch: ‘Spatial Sampling of the Thermospheric Vertical Wind Field at Auroral Latitudes’, J. Geophys. Res, Vol ???, XXX, DOI:10.1029/ (Journal article in preparation)

·          C Anderson., T. Davies, M. Conde, P. Dyson and M. J. Kosch: ‘Spatial Sampling of the Thermospheric Vertical Wind Field at Auroral Latitudes’, 19th Australian Institute of Physics Congress, Melbourne, 5 - 9 December 2010 (conference presentation)

·          T. Davies, C Anderson, and P. Dyson: ‘Stability of Large Fabry-Perot Spectrometer at a Remote Site’, 19th Australian Institute of Physics Congress, Melbourne, 5 - 9 December 2010. (conference presentation)

·          C Anderson, T. Davies, and P. Dyson: ‘Instrumental Drift Correction’ 19th Australian Institute of Physics Congress, Melbourne, 5 - 9 December 2010 (conference presentation)

·          C Anderson, R Makarevich, B Carter, Fiori Conde, M. Dyson and T. Davies: ‘First E-region observations of meso-scale neutral wind interaction with auroral arcs’, American Geophysical Union 2009 Fall Meeting, San Francisco, 14 – 18 December 2009, (conference presentation)

·          C. Anderson, I. Yui, A. Kellerman, M. Kosch, R. Makarevich, A. Aruliah, M. Conde, T. Davies, and P. Dyson: ‘First Observations of Simultaneous Inter-hemispheric Conjugate High-latitude Thermospheric Winds’, American Geophysical Union 2009 Fall Meeting, San Francisco, 14 – 18 December 2009, (conference presentation)

·          T. Davies: ‘Business Class to Antarctica’ (Non-technical account of a journey to Antarctica), Aurora; ANARE Club Journal, Volume 28, No 1, September 2008

·          F. Kiesgen: Adaptation Des Orchidees Aux Contraines Hygrometriques De Leur Environnement L’orchidee, FEDERATION FRANCAISE DES AMATEURS D’ORCHIDEES, No 100, December 2007 (Journal article which reproduced a schlieren photograph, taken by Theo Davies, as an illustration)

·          T. Davies: ‘Fabry-Perot Spectrometers in the Australian Antarctic Territory’, July 2007 (Seminar presentations at University Collage London, Lancaster University & British Antarctic Survey)

·          M. Conde, C. Anderson, T. Davies, P. Dyson and M. Kosch: ‘New Antarctic Fabry-Perot Spectrometers providing new opportunities for detailed comparison of neutral wind structures with convection mapped by SuperDARN’, 2007 SuperDARN Workshop, Hokkaido, Japan, June 3 - 8 2007, (conference paper)

·          M. Conde, C. Anderson, M. Kosch, P. Dyson and T. Davies,: ‘A new Scanning Doppler Imager for Mawson, Antarctica’. MIST Meeting, Preston, Lancashire, UK, 16 – 20 April, 2007, (conference paper)

·          T. Davies, P. L. Dyson, C. E. Anderson and M. G. Conde: ‘A new Fabry Perot Spectrometer for thermospheric airglow observations above Davis Station in Antarctica’. Referees Conference Paper presented at the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) 17th Congress, Paper 40, Brisbane, 4 – 8 December. 2006. CDRom ISBN 0-9598064-7-4. (refereed conference paper)

·          C. Anderson, T. Davies, P. Dyson, & M. Conde, (2006): ‘Thermospheric Winds above Davis, Antarctica, derived from Fabry-Perot Spectrometer Fringes’. J. Anderson (ed(s)), XXIX SCAR/COMNAP XVII 2006 Abstract Volume CD, Hobart, 08/07/2006, Australian Government Antarctic Division, Tasmania, pp 610-610, (conference presentation)

·          C. Anderson, M. Conde, T. Davies, and P. Dyson, (2006): ‘High time-resolution observations of the 630nm airglow emission above Davis Antarctica’, H. Rubuisztein-Dunlop (ed(s)), Australian Institute of Physics 17th National Congress 2006 Final Program and Extract Book, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, 03/121/2006. (conference presentation)

·          T. P. Davies, P. L. Dyson, B. E. Booth and J. L. Innis: ‘Multivariate analysis of 630-nm airglow observations from Mawson Station’, Antarctica. (Poster at Australian Institute of Physics 16th National Congress February 2005)

·          T. P. Davies. ‘Astronomical and Meteorological Functions in Airglow Observations’, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London June 2001 (seminar presentation)

·          T. Davies, and P. L. Dyson: ‘Multiple Parameter Simulation of the Fabry-Perot Interferometer’. ANARE Reports, 146, (Eds. Morris and Wilkinson), 143–145, 2001. ISBN No 18769340010 May 2001 (conference presentation)

 

 

Research projects

Space Physics - Upper atmosphere dynamics derived from observations of aurora and airglow above Davis and Mawson stations in Antarctica http://www.latrobe.edu.au/spacescience/index.htm