Conversations With… Dr Leigh Fletcher

Dr Leigh Fletcher is an Associate Professor in Planetary Science at the University of Leicester. He specialises in the research of Planetary Atmospheres and uses data from multiple sources for this purpose. In addition, Leigh is responsible for the SURE Summer programme and runs the School website and blog.

What is your official Job Role?

Associate Professor in Planetary Science

Can you briefly describe your role within the School of Physics and Astronomy?

I joined the School in 2015, moving to Leicester with a Royal Society fellowship that allows me to devote the majority of my time to research. I specialise in exploring planetary atmospheres and climate using ground-based observatories, space telescopes like James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and missions like Juno, Cassini, and JUICE. Today I lead a team of planetary scientists funded by the European Research Council, STFC, and the Royal Society, with plenty of opportunities for Undergraduates to get involved through their projects.

I manage the SURE Summer internship programme, and I’m responsible for the School website and blog. Beyond Leicester, I’m an “Interdisciplinary Scientist” for ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explore (JUICE), I’ve been leading grassroots European efforts for future Ice Giant missions (great launch opportunities in the early 2030s!), I’m a member of the Europlanet board, and I’m currently assisting with the US decadel survey in planetary science.

What made you want to start on this career path?

I had some great teachers at school, and always intended to study physics and maths at University, but with limited idea of what to do next. I knew I wanted to do a PhD of some kind, and planetary science felt like a multi-disciplinary approach to exploration, at the interface between geology, meteorology, chemistry, astronomy, plasma physics, and many other fields. Cassini was about to arrive at Saturn to begin its 13-year mission, so there were a few PhD positions being advertised across the UK. I was lucky to fall in with some atmospheric science experts at Oxford, JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab), and NASA Goddard, and the rest is history.

What made you choose Leicester/what’s your favourite thing about working at Leicester?

I grew up in Leicestershire, and knew of Leicester’s world-leading planetary programme even as a teenager. I did an internship in the School in the 1990s, and worked for the National Space Centre when it first opened its doors in 2001. So when an opportunity arose to transfer my research fellowship here, thanks to some hard work behind the scenes from my future friends and colleagues, it was an easy choice to make. Leicester, and RSPP in particular (now the Planetary Science Group), was incredibly welcoming, relaxed, and friendly – I’m proud to be a member of the team.

If you could give your former self one piece of advice what would it be?

You don’t have to say yes to every single thing that’s offered or asked of you – it’ll drive you mad, and ultimately what looks like a solid career plan is really just a random walk.

What is your favourite thing to do outside of work?

That’s a tough one – I have a family, so time isn’t really my own, but between kids activities, football matches, weekend camping, bike rides, sunny beer gardens… being outside and occupied is a welcome distraction from work. I try my hardest to ignore emails at the weekend.

Do you have any pet colleagues?

Until recently, our pets were limited to fish and stick insects. Lockdown left us craving company, so a hamster (“snuffles”) has joined our family. This has somewhat backfired, as she sleeps all day and creates havoc all night.

What is your proudest achievement?

I’m going to throw in two clichés here:

One for my research (being awarded a grant from the European Research council to kickstart my own team)