Dissertation Title: Measuring the Sources and Acceleration Mechanisms of Suprathermal Heavy Ions in Stream Interaction Regions Near 1 AU
Dissertation Advisor: Mihir Desai
Fellowships and Recognitions:
- University of Iowa Postdoctoral Excellence Award – 2021
- National Science Foundation Atmosphere and Geospace Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Graduation Date: Summer 2018
Post-Doctoral Fellowship: University of Iowa
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Physics at Montana State University
Research Areas: Rachael studies energetic particles, originating from the Sun, in both the interplanetary medium and planetary magnetospheres. She is particularly interested in the acceleration and transport of ions associated with solar transients such as coronal mass ejections and corotating interaction regions. Rachael also looks at how these particles enter magnetospheres and move through magnetospheres. Finally, she is interested in the development of space missions, particularly on CubeSat/SmallSat platforms, and instrumentation for these small spacecraft.