Sami Khan Solanki (born 1958 in
Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
, Pakistan) is director of the
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (abbreviation: MPS; ) is a research institute in astronomy and astrophysics located in Göttingen, Germany, where it relocated in February 2014 from the nearby village of Lindau (Katlenburg-Lindau ...
(MPS), director of the Sun-Heliosphere Department of
MPS, a scientific member of the
Max Planck Society
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (; abbreviated MPG) is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. Founded in 1911 as the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, it was renamed to the M ...
, and a Chair (and spokesperson) of the International Max Planck Research School on Physical Processes in the Solar System and Beyond at the Universities of
Braunschweig
Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...
and
Göttingen
Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...
.
Solanki is also an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Astronomy at the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...
, and (2) Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics at the
Braunschweig University of Technology
TU Braunschweig (, unofficially ''University of Braunschweig – Institute of Technology'') is the oldest ' (comparable to an institute of technology in the American system) in Germany. It was founded in 1745 as Collegium Carolinum and is a membe ...
in Germany. In addition, he is a Distinguished Professor at the
Kyung Hee University
Kyung Hee University (KHU; ) is a Private university, private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. It was founded in 1949. Kyung Hee University is part of the Kyung Hee University System, which offers comprehensive ...
in Korea.
He is the editor-in-chief of the ''
Living Reviews in Solar Physics ''Living Reviews in Solar Physics'' is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal publishing reviews on all areas of solar and heliospheric physics. It was founded and published at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research from 2004 to ...
'', an exclusively web-based, peer-reviewed journal, publishing reviews of research in all areas of solar and heliospheric physics. ''
Living Reviews in Solar Physics ''Living Reviews in Solar Physics'' is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal publishing reviews on all areas of solar and heliospheric physics. It was founded and published at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research from 2004 to ...
'' was recently rated with an impact factor of ''17.636'' taking the third place in the "Astronomy & Astrophysics" category.
Solanki's main topics of research are:
* Solar and heliospheric physics, in particular solar magnetism and Sun-Earth relations
* Stellar astrophysics, mainly stellar activity and magnetism
* Astronomical tests of theories of gravitation
* Atomic and molecular physics of astronomical interest
* Protoplanetary discs and extrasolar planets
* Radiative transfer of polarised light
He has also held these positions: (1) Vice-Chairman and member of the Senate Committee of the
German Aerospace Centre
The German Aerospace Center (, abbreviated DLR, literally ''German Center for Air- and Space-flight'') is the national center for aerospace, energy and transportation research of Germany, founded in 1969. It is headquartered in Cologne with 3 ...
(DLR); (2) Member Appointment Committee and Committee of Three of the DLR; (3) Member Extraterrestrial Program Committee of the DLR; (4) Science Advisory Committee of the
High Altitude Observatory
The High Altitude Observatory (HAO) is a laboratory of the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). HAO operates the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory on Hawaii (island), Hawaii and a research institute in Boulder, Colorado.
Its staff condu ...
, Boulder/USA; (5) Science Advisory Board at the Istituto Ricerche Solari (IRSOL), Locarno/Switzerland; and has contributed to the following space/balloon projects:
*
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon.
Terminology
Although the S ...
(PI)
* STEREO Secchi (Co-I)
*
SDO HMI (Co-I)
*
Solar Orbiter
The Solar Orbiter (SolO) is a Sun-observing probe developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) with a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) contribution. Solar Orbiter, designed to obtain detailed measurements of the inner heli ...
PHI (PI)
Academic career
* 1987 Doctorate from the
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...
* 1987–1989 Post doc at the
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...
, Scotland.
* 1992
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...
* 1998 Professor of Astronomy at the
University of Oulu
The University of Oulu () is one of the largest universities in Finland, located in the city of Oulu. It was founded on July 8, 1958. The university has around 14,200 students and 3,800 staff. 21 International Master's Programmes are offer ...
in Finland
* 1999 Minnaert guest professor at the
University of Utrecht
Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of 39,769 students, a ...
* 1999 Director of the
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (abbreviation: MPS; ) is a research institute in astronomy and astrophysics located in Göttingen, Germany, where it relocated in February 2014 from the nearby village of Lindau (Katlenburg-Lindau ...
Awards and honours
* 2001 Honorary professor at the
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule
* 2003 Honorary professor at the
Technische Universität Braunschweig
TU Braunschweig (, unofficially ''University of Braunschweig – Institute of Technology'') is the oldest ' (comparable to an institute of technology in the American system) in Germany. It was founded in 1745 as Collegium Carolinum and is a membe ...
* 2006 Associateship of the
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society and charitable organisation, charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, planetary science, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Its ...
* 2008 Presented the
Bernard Price Memorial Lecture
The Bernard Price Memorial Lecture is the premier annual lecture of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers. It is of general scientific or engineering interest and is given by an invited guest, often from overseas, at several of the ...
in South Africa
* 2022
George Ellery Hale Prize The George Ellery Hale Prize, or Hale Prize, is awarded annually by the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society for outstanding contributions over an extended period of time to the field of solar astronomy. The prize is named in ...
In 2011, Solanki delivered a lecture, "Is the Sun to Blame for Global Warming?,” at the first
Starmus Festival
The Starmus International Festival is an international gathering focused on celebrating astronomy, space exploration, music, art, and the natural sciences. It was founded by astronomer / amateur musician Garik Israelian and musician / astrophysi ...
in the Canary Islands. His talk was subsequently published in the book ''Starmus: 50 Years of Man in Space''.
Controversy
Solanki's research has been quoted as being part of the
Global warming controversy
There are past and present public debates over certain aspects of climate change: how much has occurred in modern times, what causes it, what its effects will be, and what action should be taken to curb it now or later, and so forth. In the sc ...
, for instance in an article in the
Telegraph.co.uk in 2004 as taking a
sceptical position: But the same research has been quoted as being evidence for
global warming
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...
in a news release from the
Max Planck Society
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (; abbreviated MPG) is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. Founded in 1911 as the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, it was renamed to the M ...
though he is quoted as calling for further investigation, saying:
Selected publications
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References
External links
Personal webpageat the
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (abbreviation: MPS; ) is a research institute in astronomy and astrophysics located in Göttingen, Germany, where it relocated in February 2014 from the nearby village of Lindau (Katlenburg-Lindau ...
*
How Strongly Does the Sun Influence the Global Climate?' Press Release 4 August 2004 by the
Max Planck Institute
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (; abbreviated MPG) is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. Founded in 1911 as the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, it was renamed to the M ...
*
Sonne und Treibhausgase heizen ein (en:The Sun and Greenhousegases warm up)' Press release 19 February 1998 by the
ETHZ
ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...
Department Sun and Heliosphere*
'
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
press release from 2004
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Solanki, Sami Khan
1958 births
Living people
Pakistani astronomers
Science teachers
Pakistani science journalists
Academic staff of Utrecht University
Max Planck Society people
Pakistani emigrants to Germany
Writers from Karachi
German people of Pakistani descent
Academic staff of ETH Zurich
Max Planck Institute directors