Guide to Living in the Halls

Faculty-in-Residence

Bill Welsh

Greetings! I'm Dr. William Welsh, the Faculty-in-Residence (FIR) in
Villa Alvarado, but please call me "Bill".  I'm an Associate Professor in
the Astronomy Department and my research is focused on extrasolar planets,
though I also work on active galaxies, black holes, and other fun topics in
high-energy astrophysics.  And I do mean fun - it's hard work (*very* hard
work!), but participating in scientific discovery is really cool and I
can't imagine doing anything else.  I grew up in New York (correctly
pronounced as "Noo Yawk"), got my B.S. from SUNY Stony Brook and my Ph.D.
from Ohio State.  I did my Ph.D. thesis research at the Hubble Space
Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore I did my postdoctoral work at
Keele University in England, followed by another postdoc and a Research
Scientist position at the University of Texas, then came to SDSU in the
fall of 2000.  I teach both graduate and undergraduate classes, and the
course I find most enjoyable is my 300-level GE course "astrobiology".
I am a science geek for sure.  I also enjoy teaching a section of the
"Women in Science and Engineering" (WiSE) Residential Learning
Community University Seminar course.

When I'm not thinking or reading about science, my hobbies include
photography, cultivating a saltwater mini-reef aquarium, gardening, science
fiction, listening to music (everything from punk to Bach to Tuvan throat
singing), and traveling.  I've been to Canada, Israel, Egypt, England,
Italy, France, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Scotland, Korea, Australia,
Switzerland, Mexico, and China.  (The above photo was taken at the Great Wall.)
In the US, I've lived in New York (NY), Columbus (OH), Baltimore (MD),
Austin (TX) and San Diego. While in Baltimore I met my multi-talented wife,
Natasha.  She has traveled the world with me (and put up with being married
to an astronomer - I sometimes keep awfully late hours!). Natasha's interests
include henna (mehendi), ethnomusicology, singing, photography,
cooking, arts and crafts, and feline furry beasties.  Natasha and I are
delighted to be part of the Faculty-In-Residence program.