Josh Alquiza Research Advisor: Phil Valek Fellowships: UTSA Doctoral Fellowship Graduation Date: May 2010 Current Position: Northwest Vista College – Full-Time Physics Instructor Research Areas: Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Velocity Filters Space Weather Ring Current Composition Analysis (TWINS)
Undergraduate Degree: M.Sc. (Hons) Physics B.E. (Hons) Electronics and Communications from BITS Pilani, 2019 Research Interests: Planetary Magnetosphere Planetary Lightning Payload Instrumentation Awards: Winner of People's Choice Award in the Three Minute Thesis Competition held at UTSA in Spring 2022. Winner of the prestigious "Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology" (FINESST-21) grant. Publications: V. R. Dinesh Kumar, Jayesh P. Pabari, Kinsuk Acharyya, C.T. Russell, "Venus lightning: Estimation of charge and dimensions of charge regions for lightning initiation", Icarus, Volume 365, 2021, 114473, ISSN 0019-1035 Fun Facts: I can speak 5 languages and I am currently learning 2 [...]
Patrice Smith Undergraduate Degree: B.S. Astronomy, Minor in Physics, University of Hawaii at Hilo Research Interests: Planetary Science Dissertation Advisor: Kurt Retherford
Robert Ebert Dissertation Title: Jupiter’s Magnetotail: Plasma Composition, Dusk Boundary Structure and Tail Motion Dissertation Advisor: David McComas Fellowships and Recognitions: Recognized by Who’s Who at UTSA and Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities (2009 – 2010). UTSA Presidential Dissertation Fellowship (2009). NASA Group Achievement Award - Ulysses Mission Team (2009). National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS-D2; 2008 – 2010). Graduation Date: Fall 2010 Publications: Google Scholar Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Southwest Research Institute Current Position: Southwest Research Institute – Principal Scientist & Lead Adjoint Professor for UTSA Space Physics [...]
Todd Veach Dr Veach has a PhD in Physics from Arizona State University. Dr. Veach is an astrophysicist specializing in the design, fabrication, and operation of laboratory, ground-based, balloon-borne, and spaceflight astronomical instruments. His research interests include UV/VIS/IR imaging and spectroscopy, FIR interferometry, cryogenics, astronomical detector development, star formation, supernovae, extra-solar planet formation and evolution, and cosmological structure formation. Dr. Veach has over 15 years’ experience with UV/VIS/IR imaging and spectroscopy, FIR interferometry, cryogenics, astronomical detector development, calibration, and cryogenic system design. Dr. Veach’s work has focused on the design of novel readout technology and characterization of [...]
Tracy Becker Education: B.S. Astrophysics, Lehigh University 2010 Ph.D. Physics – Planetary Science Track, University of Central Florida, 2016 Research Areas: Co-Investigator and Composition Working Group lead for the Europa Clipper mission Composition of planetary surfaces including asteroids and icy moons Ultraviolet observations using the Hubble Space Telescope Studies of Saturn’s rings using data from the Cassini mission Computational modeling of asteroids using Arecibo planetary radar data Website: tracybecker.space
Ross Goodwin Thesis Advisor: Frederic AllegriniGraduation Date: Fall 2018Current Position: SRC – EW Engineer
Mark Hamel Thesis Title: The affects on Titan atmospheric modeling by variable molecular reaction rates Thesis Advisor: Kathy Mandt Fellowships and Recognitions: Bill and Alicia Hoover Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Award, UTSA (2015) Vandenberg SFB, 2SLS Squadron Civilian of the Quarter, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Winter 2022. Graduation Date: Summer 2017 Current Position: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Adjunct Professor, United States Space Force, Aerospace Engineer Research Areas: Researched uncertainties in Titan atmospheric ion-neutral chemistry model and determined which reaction rates were most consequential to ion densities in the ionosphere and compared results to Cassini instrument data. Worked [...]
Jake Montgomery Education: B.S. Physics, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2019 Research Interest: Characteristics of Magnetic Reconnection at Jupiter’s Dawn Magnetopause Investigation of Kelvin-Helmholtz Instabilities at Jupiter’s dawn magnetopause Properties of Jupiter’s boundary layer Fun Facts: I was born with 6 toes on one foot I played baseball for 14 years Dissertation Advisor: Rob Ebert
Southwest Research Institute
6220 Culebra
San Antonio, Texas
