DISCOVERY 09
Dr Dan Holdsworth
My PhD played a big role in my
research, as did the experience I
gained at the Keele Observatory.
When the lead author got in touch
with me to help observe the star
I didn’t realise at the time how
big this discovery was going to be
and it has only recently sunk in.
NASA will use the Hubble Space Telescope
to screen four of the planets, including the
three inside the habitable zone. In 2018 NASA
will launch its James Webb Space Telescope
which will be able to detect chemical
fingerprints of water, methane, oxygen,
ozone, and other components of a planet’s
atmosphere and analyse temperatures and
surface pressures.
Dr Holdsworth joined Keele in 2011
and was a Student Trustee of the Keele
Postgraduate Association.
He said: “I was recommended to do my PhD
at Keele University and after visiting the nice
green campus I applied. I enjoyed my time
there and the experience and contacts I
gained has set me up for this line of work.”
His former PhD supervisor Dr Barry Smalley,
a senior lecturer at Keele, said: “Dr Holdsworth
did some very important observatory work
whilst at Keele, and through WASP we have
worked closely with TRAPPIST.
“I still keep in touch with Dr Holdsworth and it’s
great to see his successful career, he’s done
extremely well.”