PROBA2 Technical Coordinator – PROBA2 Liaison Scientist – Research Scientist
Royal Observatory of Belgium
Ringlaan – 3 – Avenue Circulaire
B – 1180 Brussels, Belgium
Birth Place, Country:
UK
Academic Details:
• PhD. Imperial College London, UK, Energy Budget and Dynamics of the Solar Corona, Oct 2003 – Jan 2008
• Mphys Exchange Program, University Courses on Svalbard, Norway, Jan 2002 – May 2002
• Mphys – Physics with Planetary & Space Physics, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Wales, Sep 1998 – Jan 2002
Career overview:
• Over 10 years of experience in Solar/Heliospheric physics research and space instrument development.
• Technical Coordinator and Project Scientist for the PROBA2 SWAP EUV Instrument.
• EUVI EUV instrument, Lagrange Mission, ROB Technical Lead.
• Experience with mission development, planning, and operations (PROBA-2, SOHO-EIT, SDO-AIA, Solar Orbiter-EUI, Lagrange-EUVI/Coronagraph).
Current research/ job focus:
PROBA2 Project Scientist,
Royal Observatory of Belgium,
2012-present
PROBA2 Technical Coordinator,
Royal Observatory of Belgium,
2015-present
EUVI Lagrange Mission ROB Technical Lead,
Royal Observatory of Belgium,
2017-present
SCOPE Coronagraph development ROB Technical Lead,
Royal Observatory of Belgium,
2016-present
Area of expertise:
Space instrumentation, Solar Physics, Physics, Observational Physics
Area of interests: Space instrumentation, Solar Physics, Physics, Observational Physics, Outreach, Art. I am interested in both the small and large-scale solar coronal magnetic field, specifically in the context of how energy can be liberated through solar eruptions, magnetic reconnection and can drive space weather. I have worked on both modeling and observations in these fields. My long-term goal is to develop new methods to probe previously unmeasurable coronal properties using new observational, theoretical and numerical techniques. I also have strong interests in coronal loop physics, space weather forecasting and how solar flares, EUV waves, dimmings and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) fit together, and more specifically how coronal dimmings can be used as a reliable diagnostic for estimating CME mass and direction.
Life outside work: Rock climbing, Art, Running
A dose of motivation:
The Apollo 13 movie got me started.
What motivated you to choose your field of study/ your professional field?
The Apollo space moon missions