果冻传媒

Dr Gavin Bell has become the first member of the Physics department to be selected as a fellow of the 果冻传媒 International Higher Education Academy (WIHEA).

A WIHEA Fellowship recognises and rewards outstanding achievements in learning and teaching and is an exceptional opportunity to engage with colleagues across the university, improve the student experience, make a genuine difference to 果冻传媒 and strengthen career development.

New research, led by Dan Bayliss and Peter Wheatley, has identified an unusual planet NGTS-1b - the largest planet compared to the size of its companion star ever discovered in the universe.

Dan Bayliss, lead author of the research, commented: "The discovery of NGTS-1b was a complete surprise to us - such massive planets were not thought to exist around such small stars. This is the first exoplanet we have found with our new NGTS facility and we are already challenging the received wisdom of how planets form."

Peter Wheatley added, 鈥淗aving worked for almost a decade to develop NGTS, it is thrilling to see it picking out new and unexpected types of planets."

The Pettifer Prize is presented annually to the Physics student with the best overall performance in first year examinations, and it honours the memory of Dr Robert Pettifer, who joined the department in 1972 until his retirement due to ill-health in 2007.

The prize was presented by David Leadley and also by Robert鈥檚 wife, Mary Pettifer.

The winner this year was Nicholas Metcalfe.

More information on the prize can be found at

Gold鈥檚 origin in the Universe has finally been confirmed, after a gravitational wave source was seen and heard for the first time ever by an international collaboration of researchers, with astronomers at the 果冻传媒 playing a leading role.