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Chris Pearson

Astronomy Group Lead, Space Operations Division at RAL Space and visiting fellow, The Open University
Chris is the astronomy group lead in the space operations division at RAL Space.

He combines astrophysics research with the development and operation of space missions.

My PhD was in “Galaxy Evolution and Cosmology" at Imperial College London.

After working in Japan for seven years on infrared space telescopes, he moved back to the UK to work for RAL Space, working on the SPIRE instrument that flew on the Herschel Space Observatory.

He also works on the Ariel exoplanet mission and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

The SKA is the largest scientific facility ever to be built. It consists of a giant array of radio telescopes built in the deserts of South Africa and Australia.

On SKA, Chris manages two of the software teams that are developing something called the science data processor. This software will process the vast amounts of data that will come in once the telescope array becomes operational.

The job at RAL Space allows Chris to participate in both astronomy research and the development of spacecraft missions.

Economy

Asian Stocks Drop Amid Iran War Fears and BOJ Rate Hike Signals

Asian equity markets declined sharply on Monday as investors reacted to mounting geopolitical tensions surrounding the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, while hawkish signals from the Bank of Japan added further pressure on...

South Korea March Exports Expected to Surge to Near Five-Year High Amid AI-Driven Chip Demand

South Koreas exports in March are projected to have surged at their fastest pace in nearly five years, powered by soaring global demand for semiconductors driven by artificial intelligence investment. A Reuters poll of 11...

Gold Prices Inch Higher Amid U.S.-Iran War Tensions and Technical Rebound

Gold prices edged up in Asian trading on Monday, recovering modestly after a turbulent week marked by sharp volatility tied to escalating geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran. Spot gold climbed 0.4% to...

Oil Prices Surge Amid Middle East Tensions as Houthi Attacks Escalate Conflict

Global oil prices climbed sharply at the start of Mondays trading session following a significant escalation in Middle East hostilities. Yemens Iran-backed Houthi group launched a missile barrage targeting Israel over the...

Asia Markets Tumble as Gulf Conflict Drives Oil Prices to Historic Highs

Asian stock markets fell sharply on Monday as investors braced for a prolonged Gulf conflict that has sent oil prices surging to their highest monthly gains in decades, raising serious concerns about global inflation and a...

Politics

UNIFIL Peacekeeper Killed in Southern Lebanon as Tensions Escalate

A United Nations peacekeeper was killed and several others were wounded after a projectile struck a UNIFIL position near the southern Lebanese village of Adchit al-Qusayr on Sunday. Indonesias foreign ministry confirmed...

Trump Says Iran Nuclear Deal Could Be Near as Direct Talks Progress

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States is actively engaged in direct negotiations with Iran, expressing cautious optimism that a diplomatic agreement could be reached soon. Speaking to reporters...

Pakistan Leads Diplomatic Push to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid Iran War

Pakistan brought together foreign ministers from Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia in Islamabad on Sunday in a high-stakes diplomatic effort to end the ongoing Iran war and restore critical oil shipping routes through the...

Trump Eyes Military Operation to Seize Iran's Uranium Stockpile

President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing a bold military operation to physically extract nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing senior U.S. officials. While no final...

Iran-U.S. Military Tensions Escalate: Markets, Universities, and the Strait of Hormuz at Risk

Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have intensified dramatically as Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stark warning targeting U.S.-affiliated universities across neighboring countries. The IRGC...

Science

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Technology

Cybersecurity Stocks Tumble After Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI Leak Sparks Market Fears

Major cybersecurity stocks took a sharp hit Friday following reports that Anthropic accidentally exposed details about its next-generation AI model before its official launch. CrowdStrike fell 7%, Palo Alto Networks...

Chinese Universities with PLA Ties Found Purchasing Restricted U.S. AI Chips Through Super Micro Servers

Procurement records reveal that four Chinese universities, two of which have direct ties to the Peoples Liberation Army, acquired Super Micro Computer servers loaded with restricted Nvidia AI chips over the past year. The...

Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon's Blacklisting of AI Company Anthropic

A federal judge has temporarily prevented the Pentagon from enforcing its designation of Anthropic as a national security supply-chain risk, dealing an early blow to the Trump administration in a growing dispute over...

SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn

Chinas top semiconductor manufacturer, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), has reportedly been transferring chipmaking equipment to Irans military industrial complex, according to two senior Trump...

Google's TurboQuant Algorithm Sends Memory Chip Stocks Tumbling

Major memory chipmakers took a significant hit on Thursday after Google researchers introduced a groundbreaking compression algorithm that threatens to reduce artificial intelligence demand for memory chips. Samsung...