Dr Chris Osborne
Published: 23 April 2026
School of Physics and Astronomy
Describe your research in fewer than 20 words
Using computers I simulate how light forms in the Sun and compare results to observations to understand the solar atmosphere.
What fellowship do you hold?
I hold the Royal Astronomical Society’s Norman Lockyer Fellowship. It’s a three-year fellowship awarded to a single researcher, supporting work that can span multiple areas within astronomy.
What is your area of research?
My research focuses on solar physics, specifically modelling and interpreting optical spectral lines from solar flares. I specialise in radiative transfer with time-dependent atomic populations outside of local thermodynamic equilibrium, and I apply machine learning to make the inversion of these models more computationally feasible.
Why did you choose to pursue a fellowship in your research career?
After completing my PhD and postdocs in solar physics, I had ideas I really wanted to develop that didn’t quite fit the traditional postdoc route. The fellowship was the best way for me to independently explore those projects and define my own research direction.
Why did you choose to work at the University of Glasgow?
Glasgow has an excellent solar physics group with a strong community and deep expertise. It’s a stimulating environment where I can share ideas and collaborate with leading researchers in the field.
What is your research highlight?
One of the highlights of my fellowship has been incorporating techniques from computer graphics into our simulations. These methods, recently developed for animation and video games, have made our simulations significantly faster. We’re now working cross-disciplinarily with graphics experts to share and improve on these methods.
What do you look for in a collaboration?
During this fellowship, I’ve mostly continued existing collaborations, particularly with colleagues in Belgium, the European Space Agency in Spain, and atomic physicists at Cambridge. I value partnerships that bring together diverse expertise and allow us to tackle complex problems from multiple angles.
How do you see your research impacting society?
The societal impact of solar physics may not be immediately obvious, but it’s important. The Sun is a plasma environment that we can’t replicate on Earth, so understanding it helps us develop our knowledge of plasma physics. More practically, my work contributes to our understanding of space weather, which can affect satellites, power grids, and communication systems on Earth.
What are your future plans?
After my fellowship ends, I’ll be working on the STFC-funded Solar Atmospheric Modelling Suite as a named research associate. This project is based at the University of Exeter, so I’ll be relocating there.
How has the fellowship benefited your career?
The fellowship gave me the freedom to pursue my own project at an early stage in my career. It allowed me to decide the direction and methods of my work, which has been incredibly valuable for my development as an independent researcher.
Have you undertaken any public engagement?
Yes, I’ve been working with amateur solar astronomers, mostly retired enthusiasts in the US and France, who have built their own spectroheliographs (instruments that combine with a telescope to study narrow wavelength regions). Interestingly, they can sometimes gather data we struggle to obtain from large observatories. These collaborations have been a unique and rewarding aspect of my outreach efforts.
What are you most proud of?
I’m especially proud of the cross-disciplinary work we’ve done, particularly our collaborations with the computer graphics community. We’re also building an online community to explore the overlap between these fields, which I find very exciting.
First published: 23 April 2026