Rate My Professor David Pontin

Professor David Pontin is a Professor in the School of Science (Physics) at the University of Newcastle, part of the College of Engineering, Science and Environment. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy and Master in Science (Honours) from the University of St Andrews in 2004. After completing his PhD, Pontin served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Waikato in New Zealand from 2004 to 2005, followed by a Research Scientist position at the University of New Hampshire's Institute for Earth, Oceans, and Space from 2005 to 2006. He then joined the University of Dundee in Scotland in 2007, advancing through positions from Lecturer in Mathematics to Senior Lecturer, Reader, and finally Personal Chair of Fluid and Plasma Modelling until 2019. In October 2019, he took up his current professorship at the University of Newcastle.

Pontin's research centers on mathematical and computational modelling of astrophysical plasmas, focusing on solar physics (50%), heliophysics and space weather (40%), and fundamental theoretical fluid dynamics (10%). His key areas include plasma astrophysics, plasma physics, magnetohydrodynamics, fluid dynamics, magnetic reconnection, coronal heating, and solar wind acceleration. He was awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize for Astronomy and Astrophysics by The Leverhulme Trust in 2011 and a Carnegie Trust personal PhD scholarship in 2001. Prominent publications encompass 'Magnetic reconnection: MHD theory and modelling' in Living Reviews in Solar Physics (2022), 'The Parker problem: existence of smooth force-free fields and coronal heating' in the same journal (2020), 'Theory of magnetic reconnection in solar and astrophysical plasmas' in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A (2012), and recent works such as 'Heating in the solar atmosphere at a fin current sheet driven by magnetic flux cancellation' in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2024). Pontin has led or contributed to major grants including ARC funding for ensemble modelling of space-weather drivers ($556,886, 2023-2025), U.S. Department of Defense support for remote sensing of coronal mass ejection magnetic fields ($772,719, 2024-2026), and STFC projects on magnetic complexity in plasmas. His contributions enhance space weather forecasting, benefiting space exploration, satellite operations, GPS technologies, and infrastructure protection from solar storms through collaborations with NASA and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.