Research

I have worked on numerous research projects, ranging from improving earthquake damage assessment and identifying the habitability of Jupiter’s moon Europa, to predicting plasma dynamics in Earth’s upper atmosphere. Below is a summary of the research initiatives I have led.

Active Projects

Modelling Magentosphere-Ionosphere Coupling

• The ionosphere is directly coupled to the Sun and solar wind via the magnetosphere
• This relationship changes the polar ionosphere, modifying its composition, dynamics, and behaviour
• We capture these effects with magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models, ground based measurements, and satellites
• This project uses AI to ehance the capabilities of these models and observations
• Work was carried out at the National Institute of Polar Research (国立極地研究所) in Japan

Explainable Predictions of Equatorial Plasma Bubbles

• Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs) interfere with GPS signals which we depend on in our daily lives
• We built APE or AI Predictions of EPBs which can accurately predict the probability of an EPB
• APE uses machine learning, data science and cooperative game theory to reveal new insights in EPBs
• The findings are published in the JGR: Space Physics

Former Projects

Modelling Surface-Plasma Interactions at Europa

• Europa has been identified as a potential host for life, and will be explored by the Europa Clipper and JUICE missions in the 2030’s
• We simulate the electric potentials on Europa’s icy surface resulting from its interaction with its ionosphere and Jupiter’s magnetospheric plasma
• We discuss the consequences of these potentials on the upcoming missions and highlight the need for additional laboratory studies
• Work was conducted in the Ocean Worlds Lab with Tom Nordheim, Camilla Harris, and Kevin Hand
• The results are published in the Astrophysical Journal: Letters

Measuring Low Energy Ions

• Low-energy plasma ions are a key constituent of the ionosphere, yet in-situ measurements are limited at lower altitudes (< 400 km)
• We developed a novel technique to measure ions using a CubeSat-based spectrometer developed by UCL
• This is the first time a CubeSat has been used to successfully measure plasma moments in-situ
• Results are published in the CEAS Space Journal

Detecting Earthquake Damage From Space

• Earthquake-induced building damage can cost lives and harm economies
• We used airborne LiDAR and space-borne radar to detect and analyse such damage
• This project was a collaboration between the University of Bath, TU Delft, and NASA JPL