UTSA-SwRI Space Physics
Graduate Program

People

Mihir Desai

2023-05-25T20:30:03+00:00

Education: B.Sc. Mathematics & Physics (Joint Hons.), University College London, 1991 Ph.D. Space Physics, University of Birmingham, 1996 Email: mdesai@swri.edu Phone: 210-522-6754 Research Areas: Experimental solar and heliospheric physics Dynamics of planetary magnetospheres Causes and effects of Space Weather Design and development of novel space flight instruments Current Graduate Students: Michael Starkey Michael Preston Gregory Kayl Past Graduate Students: Tom Broiles, Ph.D. Rachael Filwett, Ph.D. Jacob Nickell

Mihir Desai2023-05-25T20:30:03+00:00

Maher Dayeh

2023-05-25T20:30:08+00:00

Maher Dayeh Education: Ph.D. Space Physics, Florida Institute of Technology, 2007 M.S. Space Science/Atmospheric Electricity, Florida Institute of Technology, 2003 B.S. General Physics, Beirut Arab University, 2001 Email:maldayeh@swri.edu Phone:210-522-6851 Research Areas: More than 15 years of multidisciplinary research experience spanning solar, heliospheric, magnetospheric, atmospheric science, and the design and development of atmospheric and space instrumentation Space Weather - Causality, Effects, and Mitigation Energetic Particle Transport in the Interplanetary Medium Origin and Acceleration of Suprathermal Ions Forecasting Solar Transient Events using Artificial Intelligence Heliosphere: Solar Wind – Interstellar Medium Interactions; ENA imaging Magnetosphere: Global Plasma Interactions; ENA Imaging Microphysics [...]

Maher Dayeh2023-05-25T20:30:08+00:00

Frederic Allegrini

2023-05-25T20:29:26+00:00

Frederic Allegrini Education: Diploma of Engineer - Qualification of HES, Vaud School of Engineering - Department of Microtechnology, 1994 Diploma in Physics, University of Lausanne, 1999 Ph.D. Physics, University of Berne, 2002 Email: fallegrini@swri.edu Phone: 210-522-6029 Missions: AMICCE BepiColombo CubeSats Graphene IBEX IMAP Juno New Horizons Solar Orbiter Research Areas: Space plasma instrumentation: design, development, testing Data analysis in the area of Jupiter's magnetosphere (auroral electrons, Juno mission) and heliospheric physics (energetic neutral atom and ions) Carbon foils for space applications Current Graduate Students: Juan Munoz Past Graduate Students: Ross Goodwin George Clark, Ph.D. Jenna Zink, M.S. [...]

Frederic Allegrini2023-05-25T20:29:26+00:00

Jenna Zink

2023-05-26T13:49:25+00:00

Jenna Zink Thesis Title: Absolute Measurements of keV Electron Beams Thesis Advisor: Frederic Allegrini Current Position and Research Areas: Jenna is currently an Intern at Lewis-Burke Associates LLC, they are a full service lobbying and consulting firm specializing in advocacy for scientific research and higher education. She is interested in science communication,advocacy, and science policy.

Jenna Zink2023-05-26T13:49:25+00:00

Joseph Westlake

2023-05-26T13:49:31+00:00

Joseph Westlake Dissertation Title: Titan's upper atmospheric structure and ionospheric compositionDissertation Advisor: Hunter WaiteGraduation Date: Summer 2011Post-Doctoral Fellowship: John Hopkins University Applied Physics LaboratoryCurrent Position: John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory – Chief ScientistCurrent Position and Research Areas: He is a space physicist whose research focuses on understanding the planetary magnetospheres in our Solar System as well as understanding the structure and processes that produce the heliosphere, our local space environment. At APL, he has been responsible for the development of the low-energy plasma laboratory that is used to conduct plasma instrument calibrations and for various instrument development activities at APL [...]

Joseph Westlake2023-05-26T13:49:31+00:00

Sarah Vines

2024-10-15T17:09:28+00:00

Sarah Vines Dissertation Title: Ion-scale characteristics and dynamics of dayside magnetopause reconnection exhausts: Effects of interplanetary magnetic field orientation Dissertation Advisor: Stephen Fuselier Graduation Date: Fall 2016 Post-Doctoral Fellowship: John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Current Position: Southwest Research Institute - Lead Scientist Fellowships and Recognitions: Texas Space Grant Consortium, 2015-2017 Research Areas: Research focuses on solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions, in particular magnetopause structure and dynamics at Earth and the outer planets, the effects of cold and heavy ions on magnetospheric processes, the onset and development of global Birkeland currents and hemispherical asymmetries in these field-aligned current systems, [...]

Sarah Vines2024-10-15T17:09:28+00:00

Brent Randol

2023-05-26T13:49:45+00:00

Brent Randol Dissertation Title: Measurements of solar wind and pick-up ions from new horizons/solar wind around Pluto Dissertation Advisor: David McComas Graduation Date: Summer 2012 Post-Doctoral Fellowship: NASA Current Position: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center – Research AST Research Areas: His main focus is understanding the acceleration of suprathermal particles in the solar wind. He also is involved with instrument and mission development at GSFC.

Brent Randol2023-05-26T13:49:45+00:00

Georgios Nicolaou

2024-09-04T21:45:22+00:00

Thesis Title: Bulk properties of plasma ions in the deep Jovian magnetotail Thesis Advisor: David J. McComas Current Position and Research Areas: George is a postdoctoral researcher at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Kiruna, Sweden.

Georgios Nicolaou2024-09-04T21:45:22+00:00

David Mackler

2023-05-25T19:53:23+00:00

David Mackler, PH.D. Dissertation Title: An Observational Study of the Relationship Between Precipitating Ions and ENAs Emerging from the Ion/Atmosphere Interaction Region Dissertation Advisor: Jörg-Micha Jahn Graduation Date: Spring 2014 Post-Doctoral Fellowship: The Florida Space Institute Research Areas: His research interests are varied but all focus around space science and space instrumentation design. He has done research in many areas including mesospheric / ionospheric / thermospheric / magnetospheric / heliospheric physics. His passion is NASA and the manned space program, which has been a constant driver throughout my endeavors. His current projects are on the following topics: [...]

David Mackler2023-05-25T19:53:23+00:00

Kristie LLera

2024-09-04T20:03:36+00:00

Kristie LLera Dissertation Title: Energetics of Near-Earth Particles: Energy Corrections in Observations and Measurement Dissertation Advisor: Jerry Goldstein Fellowships and Recognitions: MMS Early Career Grant Fellowship (2021) 32nd NASA Annual Planetary Science Summer School (PSSS) (2019) NASA/Texas Space Grant Consortium Fellow (2012-2015) SwRI/UTSA Joint Space Physics Fellowship (2011-2017) Graduation Date: Fall 2017 Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Southwest Research Institute Current Position: Southwest Research Institute – Research Scientist Research Areas: Dr. LLera continues to research how the Sun's solar wind interacts with near-Earth and cometary environments.  Currently, studying magnetospheric boundaries around Earth (Magnetospheric MultiScale mission; FPI instrument) and ion-neutral interactions near comet 67P (Rosetta mission; [...]

Kristie LLera2024-09-04T20:03:36+00:00
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