Prof Richard Nelson

Richard Nelson

Professor of Astronomy and Mathematics

School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
Queen Mary University of London
www.qmul.ac.uk/spcs/staff/academics/profiles/rpnelson.html
Centre for Fundamental Physics

Research

Interests

My research is focussed primarily on the theory of planet formation, with particular emphasis on understanding how planets and planetesimals interact with the protoplanetary discs within which they form, and how this interaction affects the formation and global architecture of planetary systems. Broadly speaking my current research may be divided into two different strands. The first consists of detailed studies of the interaction between planets and planetesimals with protoplanetary discs, using state-of-the-art hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic simulations of protoplanetary discs. The second utilises global N-body simulations combined with prescriptions for disc-planet interactions to model the formation of complete planetary systems. The long-term goal of this research is to develop models capable of reproducing in a statistical sense the observations of extrasolar planets.