{{Short description|British space scientist}}
'''Clare Watt''' is a British space scientist and is currently Professor of Space Physics at the Northumbria University.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Prof Clare Watt |url=https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/our-staff/w/clare-watt/ |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=www.northumbria.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref> She was elected vice-president of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2022<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Prof. Clare Watt - VP, G {{!}} The Royal Astronomical Society |url=https://ras.ac.uk/taxonomy/term/165 |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=ras.ac.uk}}</ref> and has served on the editorial board of Oxford University Press's RAS Techniques and Instruments journal since 2021.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Editorial Board {{!}} RAS Techniques and Instruments {{!}} Oxford Academic |url=https://academic.oup.com/rasti/pages/editorial-board |access-date=2022-06-11}}</ref> She has received numerous awards and honours related to her career and research including the Royal Astronomical Society thesis award.
== Background and scientific career == Watt studied for a BSc in Maths and Physics at the University of Aberdeen from 1994 to 1998. She then obtained a PhD in space plasma physics from St Catharine's College, Cambridge in 2002, working closely with the British Antarctic Survey. Moving to University of Alberta in Canada,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Study of lunar dust storms and Mars aurorae could influence spacecraft design |url=https://www.ualberta.ca/physics/about-the-department/physics-news/2012/april/studyoflunarduststormsandmarsauroraecouldinfluencespacecraftdesign.html |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=www.ualberta.ca |language=en}}</ref> she focussed on numerical modelling of auroral electrons. In 2013 she returned to the UK as a lecturer in Space Physics at the University of Reading, focussing on modelling of the Earth's radiation belts. Watt moved to Northumbria University in 2020, to take up the role of Professor of Space Physics.<ref name=":0" />
== Research interests == Watt's primary research interest is kinetic plasma physics, particularly as applied to space environments.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clare Watt |url=https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=V1YZTUYAAAAJ&hl=en |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=scholar.google.co.uk}}</ref> Her focus is on numerical modelling of wave-particle interactions which are central to the energisation or scattering of electrons in both the Earth's auroral regions<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Watt |first1=Clare E. J. |last2=Rankin |first2=Robert |date=2009-01-26 |title=Electron Trapping in Shear Alfv\'en Waves that Power the Aurora |url=https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/32818/1/final_published_version.pdf |journal=Physical Review Letters |volume=102 |issue=4 |article-number=045002 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.045002|pmid=19257429 |bibcode=2009PhRvL.102d5002W |s2cid=14424139 |url-access= }}</ref> and the radiation belts,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Watt |first1=Clare E. J. |last2=Rae |first2=I. J. |last3=Murphy |first3=K. R. |last4=Anekallu |first4=C. |last5=Bentley |first5=S. N. |last6=Forsyth |first6=C. |date=September 2017 |title=The parameterization of wave-particle interactions in the Outer Radiation Belt: Parameterization of WPI |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics |language=en |volume=122 |issue=9 |pages=9545–9551 |doi=10.1002/2017JA024339|doi-access=free |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1572229/1/Forsyth_Watt_et_al-2017-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research-_Space_Physics.pdf }}</ref> which are a major space weather concern.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Your World, Your Science |url=https://pintofscience.co.uk/event/your-world-your-science |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=Pint of Science |language=en-GB}}</ref>
== Awards and honours == 2022 Elected Vice-president of the Royal Astronomical Society<ref name=":1" />
2021 co-chair of the Physical Sciences Working group that advises the Human and Robotic Exploration Directorate of the European Space Agency<ref name=":0" />
2021 Member of the Science Programme Advisory Committee to the UK Space Agency<ref name=":0" />
2021 editorial board for RAS Techniques and Instruments<ref name=":2" />
2017 Elected councillor and trustee of the Royal Astronomical Society<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simion @Yonescat |first=Florin |title=Council |url=https://ras.ac.uk/about-the-ras/council |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=The Royal Astronomical Society |language=en}}</ref>
2016 Selected to serve on the STFC Astronomy Grants Panel<ref name=":0" />
2007 Nominated reporter for International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy for Auroral Phenomenon<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reporter Reviews - IAGA |url=https://www.iaga-aiga.org/publications/reporter-reviews/ |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=www.iaga-aiga.org}}</ref>
2005 European Geosciences Union "Young Talent in Geosciences" award
2003 Royal Astronomical Society thesis award
== References == {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Watt, Clare}} Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Academics of Northumbria University Category:British space scientists Category:Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Category:Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Category:Academic staff of the University of Alberta Category:Academics of the University of Reading Category:21st-century British women scientists Category:Oxford University Press people Category:Scientists from Newcastle upon Tyne Category:21st-century British scientists