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Francis Stephenson#


CURRENT POSITIONS:

Emeritus Professor, Durham University (since October 2004); Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Physics, Durham University (since April 2005); Adjunct Professor, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia (since August 2006);

UNIVERSITY DEGREES

(1) BSc Physics (Hons): University of Durham, 1963
(2) MSc Geophysics: University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1964
(3) PhD Geophysics: University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1972
(4) DSc Astronomy: University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1982
(The title of my PhD thesis, which was examined by Sir Harold Jeffreys, FRS and Dr D.H. Sadler, was Some Geophysical, Astrophysical and Chronological Deductions from Early Astronomical Records. Sir Harold described my thesis as "the best that he had ever read" - see S.K. Runcorn, Geophys. Surveys, 7 (1985), 211. The DSc was awarded for published work in the field of Applied Historical Astronomy).

MEMBERSHIP OF LEARNED SOCIETIES, etc.
  • Member of Academia Europaea (elected May 2003)
  • Member of Commission 41 (Historical Astronomy) of IAU
  • Past President of Commission 41 (Historical Astronomy) of International Astronomical Union (IAU): President from 2000 to 2003
  • Member of Commission 19 (Earth Rotation) of IAU
  • Fellow of Royal Astronomical Society
  • Freeman (by gift) and Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, London

MEDALS, etc.
  • Jackson-Gwilt Medal and Gift awarded by Royal Astronomical Society in February 1992 for "outstanding work in making available to modern astronomers the data previously hidden in Chinese texts".
  • Tompion Gold Medal awarded by Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, London, in April 1992 for my "distinguished contribution to the study of the rotation of the Earth and the the influence its variation has had on time over many centuries". (N.B. this was a joint award with Dr L.V. Morrison, then of the Royal Greenwich Observatory).
  • In December 2004, minor planet 10979 was named after Francis Stephenson("Fristephenson") for his "use of ancient and medieval astronomical records to improve our knowledge of the Earh's rotation, supernovae and comets." (Minor Planet Circular, 53174

OTHER OFFICES AND INTERESTS

(i) Freeman of the City of London.
(ii) Advisory Editor for Journal for the History of Astronomy.
(iii) Advisory Editor for Journal for Astronomical History and Heritage.
(iiv) President of the Newcastle upon Tyne Astronomical Society.
(v) Founder member of the Durham Astronomical Society.
(vi) Member of Thomas Harriot Seminar Committee, University of Durham.
(vii) Methodist local preacher in Newcastle upon Tyne West Circuit.
(viii) Church Stewart, Blucher Methodist Church, Newcastle West Circuit.
(ix) Member of Advisory Board, Salvation Army: Northern Division.
(x) My other interests include violin playing.


PRINCIPAL POSITIONS HELD
  • Assistant Lecturer in Science, South Shields Marine and Technical College, 1965-66.
  • Visiting Research Associate in History of Science, Yale and Brown Universities, U.S.A.: 3 months in 1973 (joint appointment).
  • Earl Grey Memorial Fellow in Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne: 1973-1975.
  • Leverhulme Research Associate in Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne: 1975-1979.
  • Visiting Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, U.S.A.: 3 months in 1977.
  • University Research Fellow in Geophysics, University of Liverpool: 1979-82.
  • Senior Research Fellow in Physics, Durham University: 1982-1995.
  • Visiting Scientist, High Altitude Observatory, Boulder, U.S.A.: 1 month in 1984.
  • Visiting Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, U.S.A.: 3 months in 1986.
  • Senior Research Associate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, U.S.A.: Sep 1989 - Apr 1990; also Sep 1990 - Apr 1991. (National Research Council award).
  • Professorial Fellow in Physics, Durham University: 1996-2004.
  • Emeritus Professor, Durham University: 2004-
  • Visiting Foreign Professor, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo: Mar 2006 - Jun 2006.
  • Leverhulme Emeritus Felloow, Durham University: 2006 - 2008 (2 1/2 years).

SELECTED SPECIAL LECTURES
  • 1978 Dec. British Astronomical Association Christmas Lecture, London.
  • 1983 Aug. Guest Lecture, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico.
  • 1989 Nov. The Sydney Chapman Lecture 1989, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
  • 1995 Feb. Annual lecture to Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, London.
  • 1998 Jun. 1998 Bonham Carter Memorial Lecture (British School of Archaeology in Iraq), British Academy, London.
  • 2002 Jan. British Astronomical Association Christmas Lecture, London.
  • 2002 Oct. Royal Astronomical Society Harold Jeffreys Lecture.

SPEAKER AT MAJOR CONFERENCES
  • 1972 Dec. The Place of Astronomy in the Ancient World, Royal Society, London.
  • 1973 May. Supernovae and Supernova Remnants, University of Lecce, Italy.
  • 1974 Jan. Growth Rythyms and the History of the Earth's Rotation, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
  • 1974 Aug. Origin of Cosmic Rays, University of Durham.
  • 1974 Sep. International Organisation for the Study of the Old Testament, University of Edinburgh.
  • 1977 Sep. Tidal Friction and Earth's Rotation, University of Bielefeld, W. Germany.
  • 1978 Sep. Solar Variability, NCAR, Boulder, U.S.A.
  • 1979 Jul. B.A.A. Lunar Symposium, Keele University.
  • 1981 Aug. Climate and Solar Variability, Hamburg, W. Germany.
  • 1981 Sep. Tidal Friction and the Earth's Rotation, II, University of Bielefeld, W. Germany.
  • 1982 Aug. Commission 41 of IAU General Assembly, Patras, Greece.
  • 1984 Mar. Rotation in the Solar System, Royal Society, London.
  • 1984 Apr. Association for Korean Studies in Europe, University of Durham.
  • 1984 Apr. S.K. Runcorn (60th Birthday) Symposium, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
  • 1985 Jun. Summer School on Solar-Terrestrial Relations, Varenna, Italy.
  • 1985 Aug. Newton and Halley}, University of California, Los Angeles.
  • 1985 Dec. RS Ophiuchi (1985) and the Recurrent Nova Phenomenon, University of Manchester.
  • 1986 Jun. The History of Physics for the Physicist, University of Oxford.
  • 1987 Apr. Secular Solar and Geomagnetic Variations in the last 10,000 Years, University of Durham, England. (I was co-director - with Prof. A.W. Wolfendale - of this NATO Advanced Research Workshop).
  • 1987 May. Mapping the Sky. IAU Symposium No. 133, Observatoire de Paris.
  • 1987 Jul. Mesopotamian Astronomy and Astrology, British Museum, London.
  • 1987 Jul. Celestial Mechanics: 300 Years after Principia Mathematica, Royal Greenwich Observatory.
  • 1988 Oct. Geomagnetism, Earth Rotation and Related Problems, University of Stockholm.
  • 1989 Feb. The Earth's Climate and Variability of the Sun over Recent Millennia, Royal Society, London.
  • 1992 Aug. The History of Astronomy and Mathematics, Beijing, China.
  • 1992 Aug. The History of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, China.
  • 1993 Oct. Oriental Astronomy from Guo Shoujing to King Sejong}, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea. I was co-editor (with Professor Nha Il-Seong) of the proceedings of this symposium.
  • 1997 Apr. Joint East Asian Conference, University of Durham.
  • 1997 May Historical Astronomy, Royal Astronomical Society.
  • 1997 May Friends of the Church in China, Ushaw College, Durham.
  • 1997 Sep. King Sejong Memorial Symposium, Taedok, Korea.
  • 1998 Oct. Applied Historical Astronomy, Royal Astronomical Society (I was one of the organisers of this symposium).
  • 1998 Oct. Third International Conference on Oriental Astronomy, Fukuoka, Japan. (I was one of the organisers of this symposium).
  • 2000 Aug. International Astronomical Union, Manchester. (I was the principal organiser of the C41 session on Applied Historical Astronomy).
  • 2001 Jun. Under One Sky, British Museum.
  • 2002 Jul. ICHA/IAU International Conference at Cheongju, Korea on Astronomical instruments and archives from the Asia-Pacific region. (I was Deputy Chairman of the organising committee).
  • 2003 Jul. International Astronomical Union, Sydney. (I was the principal organiser of the C41 session on Applied Historical Astronomy).
  • 2004 Jun. Supernovae, University of Padua.
  • 2004 Jul. The light-time effect in Astrophysics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
  • 2004 Aug. Eclipses, Open University.
  • 2006 June. em Historical records and modern science, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo.
  • 2006 August. International Astronomical Union, Prague.
  • 2007 April. Historical astronomy, Townsville, Queensland.
  • 2008 July. ICOA-6: International conference on Oriental Astronomy. Townsvile, Queensland.
  • 2008 September. European Society for the History of Science. Vienna.
  • 2009 October. Stromfest (Symposium to honour the retirement of Prof Richard Strom. Dwingeloo, Holland.


I have also lectured extensively on various aspects of Applied Historical Astronomy (AHA) at academic institutions in Britain, Continental Europe and the United States. In both 1988 and 1992, I gave series of lectures on AHA in China (Beijing, Nanjing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Kunming) and Hongkong (University, Chinese University and Polytechnic). In 1993 I lectured at Kwangju University, Korea and in 1997 at Seoul National University. In autumn 2000 I lectured at the US Naval Observatory, Smithsonian Institution, Harvard College Observatory and Boston University. Whilst in Japan in 2006 I gave several invited lectures in Tokyo and Fukuoka. During a visit lasting about one month to James Cook University at Townsville, Queensland in the spring of 2006 I gave two invited lectures, and whilst in Seoul in the autumn of 2007 I also gave two invited lectures on aspects of AHA.

UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING

For several years, from about 1997 to 2004, I taught a first year course on "Astronomy through the Ages" at Durham. This course traced the development of Astronomy from ancient times to the 17th century in Egypt and Babylon, Europe and East Asia. For three years I also taught a third year course on "Physics and Society", tracing how since ancient times attitudes in society have affected the development of physics and also how developments in physics have affected society: e.g. the Manhattan Project.

Each year from about 1997 to 2005 I also regularly supervised essay projects (usually on some aspect of history of physics or astronomy) for some 15 to 20 third year students and more extensive research projects by one or two 4th year MSci students.
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