Space weather model coupling
This project develops a coupled space weather model to study magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions during geomagnetic storms and their impact on GNSS signals.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
NRC Research Associateship Programs has archived this opportunity.
Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: May 1, 2025 (Application Deadline)
Funding Amounts: $99,200 stipend plus $3,000 travel allowance; typical postdoctoral fellowship duration 2-3 years.
Summary: Postdoctoral fellowship to develop coupled space weather models studying magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions during geomagnetic storms and their effects on ionospheric irregularities detectable by GNSS and radio interferometry.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents; relocation and health insurance benefits included; requires contacting Research Adviser prior to applying.
Description
This postdoctoral research opportunity at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) focuses on advancing modeling and simulation capabilities for space weather processes near Earth, particularly those affecting the ionosphere and plasmasphere. The project centers on coupling the SAMI3 ionosphere model with a magnetospheric magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model to better capture the magnetosphere's impact on the ionosphere. This includes effects on high-latitude ionospheric conductivity, field-aligned currents, geomagnetic storms, and particle precipitation, especially during storm events.
The coupled model will be used to study ionospheric irregularities caused by storm-time interactions between the magnetosphere and ionosphere. These irregularities can be observed via ground-based global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers and radio interferometry. Simulation results will be validated against these observational data.
Key research areas include ionosphere and magnetosphere physics, space weather modeling, software development, and model coupling.
