Research Projects
Driven by curiosity and the desire to bring awe and solutions to the community, my research project's span a wide range of topics and disciplines. Below are a few of my recent projects.
If you would like to know more about the projects listed or ideas you may have, please do reach out. I am always keen to collaborate or find new opportunities. I welcome global collaborations from any industry & discipline.
Planetary Magnetic Fields; A quick intro
Earth's Magnetic Field & Deep Interior
Earth's magnetic field, also know as the geomagnetic field, plays a key role in sustaining life and supporting human adventures. It has been used to tell human fortune in ancient China, it has allowed people to navigate since the 1800s and continues to support modern navigation, it protects us and our modern infrastructure from harmful space radiation and geomagnetic storms, it yields beautiful aurora, and it let's us peer into the deep interior of our planet where the field is generated giving us a better understanding of how Earth formed and evolves.
To better understand Earth's field and the deep interior of our planet where the fields are generated, I find novel ways to better map and characterize Earth's field and it's changes ... especially over short time and length scales.
For a detailed list of published, in press, in preparation, and on going work, please refer to my CV. Below is a summary of published projects to do with Earth's magnetic field and deep interior:
- Published Work -
This review paper (and book chapter) discusses rapid changes in earth's magnetic field, summarizing key observations, developments and outlining possible insights to be gained from better understanding changes in the field.
My main contribution: Section 3 of the paper that discusses insights to be gained from better understanding changes in the field.
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This project introduced a new way to map Earth's field using commercial satellite constellations, specifically the Iridium Constellation of communication satellites. With magnetic data from satellites that engulf the Earth, the study was able to obtain map Earth's field down to short spatial scales and rapidly.
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- More Exciting Work With Waves in Earth's Core
& Student Projects Coming Soon, Stay Tuned! -
Mercury's Magnetic Field & Deep Interior
Mercury's magnetic field is very unique! It is very weak, it is very symmetric about its rotation axis, and it appears offset with respect to the planet's equator. Mercury's surrounding space environment is also filled with magnetic fields coming from currents in the planet's magnetosphere. The planet's proximity to the Sun, its weak internal magnetic field, and a lack of an ionosphere where external currents can close through, mean that the external fields around Mercury dominate magnetic field observations made in orbit around Mercury, allowing only a partial glimpse (low spatial degree understanding) of the planet's internal field.
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Better characterizing Mercury's field will improve our understanding of planetary magnetic fields and interiors in general. It will also shed light on planet formation, evolution, and dynamics. As the only other rocky planet with a present day magnetic field in the solar system, it is important that we understand it's generation mechanism and the physics that drives the system.
My work is focused on 1) correcting for the large external field signals in the magnetic observations made around Mercury, and 2) understanding the interior structure and dynamics that can yield the improved view of the planet's field. I use magnetohydrodynamic simulations (both magnetospheric & dynamo models) to gain better understanding of Mercury's interior. For this work, I was awarded the Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (NASA FINESST) award in 2019.
Below is a video from my simulation of Mercury magnetosphere using the GAMERA model (part of on-going work). The video shows the external magnetic fields around the planet (small arrows) and the plasma structure of the magnetosphere (the orange-red hues in the background).
- Stay Tuned For Some Exciting Results Coming Soon -
Earth & Space Science Education
I have always been passionate education and mentorship that is empathetic and inclusive. This passion combined with the opportunity to collaborate and work with experts on science education matters has sparked an interest in pedagogical research within Earth & space sciences.
My specific interest is, 1) in making each class topic tangible, and 2) to convey key values through the class. I hope to continue expanding my interest in this area and subsequently build a sustainable scientific community.
- Published Work -
This commentary paper brings into focus the need to be more inclusive in geosciences and emphasizes the importance of intergroup emotions in building an inclusive classroom.
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Emotions are powerful and the paper prompts educators to think about how we can harness that power to build a better science curriculum.