Philippa Browning is a Professor in the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, researching into the interactions of plasmas with magnetic fields in the solar corona, stellar atmospheres, and magnetically-confined fusion experiments. Her current research focuses on solar flares - the most powerful explosions in the solar system - aiming to understand the release of stored magnetic energy which causes flares and how this generates large numbers of very energetic electrons and ions. She teaches courses on Physics of Energy Sources and Physics of Fluids as part of the undergraduate physics degree . She regularly presents talks on solar flares and fusion energy to astronomy societies, sci-bars, schools and other groups. She sings in a choir and is learning to play folk music on mandolin and fiddle, and is also is a keen walker (currently close to completing the Wales Coast Path).