Sir Bernard Lovell Chair of Astrophysics at University of Manchester, Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics
-Senior Lecturer in Physics and Astronomy at Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester
Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck College, University of London
Reader in Physics & Astronomy and Co-Director of the Centre for Exoplanet Science at the University of St Andrews
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology Group, School of Natural Sciences, Manchester University
Astronomer Royal, Emeritus prof and ex-Director for Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, Fellow and ex Master for Trinity College, Cambridge
Principal of St Johns College and Professor of Theology and Religion, Durham University
The concept of the UKSRN began in October 2008, when three SETI scientists met at a coffee bar in Glasgow, during an annual International Astronautics Conference. This gang of three were, Dr John Elliott (current Chair of UKSRN and long-term member of the IAA SETI Permanent Committee), Dr Stephen Baxter (Sci-Fi author, member of SETI Permanent Committee and Vice-President of the HG Wells Society) and Dr Alan Penny. At that meeting, the idea of a UK SETI network was hatched, to support the UK SETI community and its research: both individually and collaboratively.
Although getting the idea from concept to reality took a few years, it now provides us with an academic network and forum for exchanging ideas and developing new initiatives. Some of these are so large and multidisciplinary that no one person could ever undertake them alone.
So, by bringing together teams (both internally and invited external collaborators) from our wide-ranging disciplines, we are then able to bring together the necessary expertise to attempt these challenging goals. We are only just really beginning our journey, However, we already have members from many of the UKs top universities who cover expertise across all the main disciplines in our endeavour to search for extra-terrestrial life and intelligence.