So David, how did you end up doing solar physics in California?
After completing my PhD in Cosmology way back in 1988 I spent 5 years at the University of Glasgow studying various aspects of the energetic solar explosions known as solar flares. In 1993 I moved to Montana State University where I became part of the Yohkoh team. Apart from joining an excellent project, the city of Bozeman, Montana proved to be a wonderful place to live. It is a very beautiful place (not as beautiful as Scotland though) and is full of friendly, fun people. After 3 years in Montana I headed south to the San Francisco area of California to work for Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory which was primarily responsible for the building of the Soft X-ray Telescope on Yohkoh, the MDI instrument on SoHO and the TRACE satellite.

What do you do?
Currently, I am involved with a number of interesting projects mostly using data from the instruments on board the Yohkoh satellite. I am still interested in solar flares and, in particular, what causes the production of the large number of energetic particles needed to power the solar flare. I have also been looking at the problem of how the solar corona gets to be so hot and whether things like active regions (the atmosphere above sunspots) are heated differently from the rest of the corona.

In addition to the science, I also am part of the Yohkoh operations team and frequently visit Japan, where the Yohkoh control centre is situated. While there I am responsible for the daily operations of the Soft X-ray telescope on Yohkoh. I also have a keen interest in getting our science out to the public and in collaboration with Montana State University we have created a solar web site which provides access to the 7.5 years of Yohkoh data.

What do you do in your spare time?
Most of my spare time these days is taken up with my new son, wee David, who was born on 23rd November 1998 and my wife, Wendy. I do have a keen interest in football and am an avid Glasgow Rangers fan. Although I don't get to see many games I keep in touch via the internet. Recently, I have started playing golf again and the weather in California makes for a nice day out, although I miss the need for the sou'wester and machete ensemble required for the Scottish courses.

Any embarrassing moments?
Too many to mention. It is often said that I only open my mouth to change feet.