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Who are you?
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My name is Daniel Brown, I'm a final year PhD student in the Department of
Mathematics at St Andrews, working under Prof Eric Priest in the Solar
Theory Group.
I'm enjoying what I'm doing, and although there is not much money in it,
there are some great perks of the job, such as attending conferences in
other countries. For example, I went to a conference in Greece where I
was encouraged to try my hand at Greek Dancing. At the conference dinner I
was awarded as a joke a certificate proclaiming me the 'Best Non-Greek
Dance Performer'.
Away from the department I have been playing for the University Badminton
team, representing the University in various local and inter-university
competitions.
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Did you do your undergraduate degree at St Andrews?
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I was an undergraduate at the University of Swansea for three years
where I got a first class degree in Pure and Applied Maths Joint Honours.
I went on to do an MSc in Nonlinear Mathematics at Bath University for a
year.
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What made you consider doing a PhD at St Andrews?
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I was interested in studying magneto-hydro-dynamics, so I spoke to my old
departmental head at Swansea, he recommended St Andrews as being the best
place to go, so I applied. I was invited up for a visit and was impressed
by the size of the research group and their facilities.
I had been to a Welsh university and an English university, so I figured a
Scottish one would complete the set and so I came.
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What are you studying?
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I'm studying solar theory - in particular I look at magnetic structures in
the solar corona. This involves devising theoretical models of magnetic
events and analysing data of the solar atmosphere taken by specialised
satellites.
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Why solar theory?
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My mathematical studies had been becoming progressively more applied, and
I had always had an interest in astronomy. When I read what the group here
were doing I decided that it would be more interesting for me than
something more abstract.
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How do you find the department?
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The department is pretty friendly and I always seem to bump into friends
and stand in the street for a chat whenever I'm in town.
There is always lively discussion between staff, postdocs and research
students. Coffee time is an established ritual where anything from the
latest mathematical theories to the latest sports results are debated.
The most regular departmental activity is certainly the two weekly indoor
football sessions, which has a keen following of people eager to
demonstrate their lack of ability. This culminates in the annual Staff v
Students challenge match, where staff fitness is severely tested.
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What advice could you offer anyone interested in coming to St andrews
to do a PhD?
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Where ever you go you'll have to live there for 3 years. St Andrews is
very friendly and a nice place, but it's also a fairly small town and
lacks the amount of entertainment a city can offer. Make sure that you go
somewhere that you will be happy living in.
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Thanks, Dan!
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