Dr. Richard West

Associate Professor

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Biography

Richard West is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick, with a focus on exoplanets and Space Domain Awareness. As a founding member of the WASP and NGTS projects, he has played a key role in designing and implementing ground-based wide-field optical surveys aimed at discovering new exoplanets using the transit method. His contributions included developing the computing hardware and software infrastructure necessary for processing and storing the significant amounts of data generated nightly. West is also involved with the PLATO mission at the PLATO Data Centre, where his work intersects with high-speed multi-band photometry for monitoring objects in low-Earth orbit. By leveraging the capabilities of GPUs, he achieves real-time analysis of high-speed imaging data captured by advanced CMOS InGaAs imaging sensors. Additionally, he has experience in X-ray astronomy, particularly with the ROSAT and XMM-Newton missions, and High-Performance Computing (HPC).

Research Interests

Requirements for University of Warwick

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:2.1
IELTS
Listening
Required:6
Reading
Required:6
Writing
Required:6
Speaking
Required:6
Overall
Required:6.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:21
Reading
Required:22
Writing
Required:21
Speaking
Required:23
Total
Required:92
PTE
Listening
Required:59
Reading
Required:59
Writing
Required:59
Speaking
Required:59
Overall
Required:62
Duolingo
Overall Score
Required:120
Overall
Required:120
Prerequisites
Bachelor degree in Engineering or a related STEM discipline
Application Checklist
  • Online application form
  • Official transcripts
  • Degree certificate
  • Personal statement
  • One academic reference
  • CV/Resume
  • English language proficiency evidence
Specialization Notes

Includes General, Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Biomedical, and Manufacturing Engineering. Most programs fall under English Band A.