I lead research into the coupling between the solar wind, the magnetosphere, and the upper atmosphere. This work underpins our ability to predict space weather and protect the infrastructure it threatens.
When the solar wind hits Earth, vast amounts of energy pour into the magnetosphere. We still cannot fully account for where that energy goes: how much is dissipated as Joule heating in the ionosphere, how much drives changes in the neutral thermosphere, and how much feeds back to reshape the magnetosphere itself. Getting this right matters. Geomagnetic storms can disrupt power grids, satellite operations, and communications. My goal is to close the energy budget of the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system during storms, by combining new radar and satellite observations with next-generation models. The SMILE mission, launching soon, will provide global imaging of the magnetopause for the first time, and I am working to make sure we can interpret what it sees. Ultimately, I want to build the observational and modelling foundations for reliable, physics-based space weather prediction.
Here are some publications that I'm most proud of contributing to the field.
When random error in the measurement of the solar wind driver is accounted for, the true solar wind driver value is likely smaller and closer to the mean than the measurement. When we do not account for this regression to the mean, the response values will be wrongly associated with extreme driving values, creating an apparent saturation. For this collaboration I contributed to the conceptualisation, the second-order statistics validation, the computer code validation, editing of the manuscript and responses to reviewers.
I developed the Time-Variable Ionospheric Electric field (TiVIE) model, the first empirical model to capture the time-varying response of high-latitude ionospheric convection to solar wind driving. It fills a critical gap in space weather modelling.
My statistical analyses of SuperDARN radar data revealed systematic patterns in how ionospheric plasma flows reorganise during different phases of geomagnetic storms, including previously uncharacterised dusk–dawn asymmetries in convection.
I led the first comprehensive assessment of how the expansion of the SuperDARN radar network over 20+ years has influenced derived convection patterns. This provides an essential calibration for the community's most widely used data product.
My recent work establishes the reliability (and limits) of matching field-aligned current boundaries from AMPERE with convection boundaries from SuperDARN during storms. This is a key step towards combining these datasets for real-time space weather monitoring.
My research connects spacecraft and radar observations with modelling to answer a deceptively simple question: where does the energy go when the solar wind hits Earth?
I'm a member of the ESA/CAS SMILE mission consortium, where I help prepare the ground-based observation campaigns that will complement the first simultaneous X-ray and UV images of the magnetosphere. This will open a new window on how solar wind energy enters the system.
Using the SuperDARN radar network and the TiVIE model I developed, I map how plasma flows reorganise during geomagnetic storms. This has revealed the eye of the storm at high latitudes and shown how energy is redistributed globally.
Magnetospheric energy doesn't stop at the ionosphere. I investigate how electric fields and particle precipitation drive Joule heating, neutral wind responses, and compositional changes in the thermosphere, and how these feed back onto the magnetosphere.
I supervise PhD students working on magnetospheric dynamics and ionosphere-thermosphere coupling, and planetary physics. I am open to interdisciplinary projects and I teach the 3rd-year Space and Auroral Physics course at Lancaster. I also co-lead ISSI International Team 654 on saturation of the geomagnetic response to the solar wind.
If you're interested in joining the group as a PhD student or postdoc, see the Space and Planetary Physics Group page for opportunities, or get in touch directly.
I believe the culture of how we recognise and reward scientific work matters as much as the science itself. As a former elected member of MIST Council, I developed and implemented the community's first EDI policy. I chair the MIST Awards Taskforce, a national initiative that reviewed and improved how awards are given across the UK Magnetosphere, Ionosphere, and Solar-Terrestrial (MIST) physics community. We advocate for inclusive practices around prize and award giving and empower early-career researchers to write effective nominations. The taskforce published its findings and recommendations in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences and was invited to present at the 2023 National Astronomy Meeting and the 2023 AGU Fall Meeting. I'm also a member of the Diversity in Data Science Working Group at Lancaster, and won the inaugural Diversity in Data Science and AI Champion Award in 2025.
I regularly speak to journalists about the aurora, space weather, and geomagnetic storms. Winner of the 2022 British Science Association Lecture Prize.
Reviewer for Nature Astronomy, Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Annales Geophysicae, Space Weather and Frontiers in Astrophysics.
External examiner for doctoral theses at the University of Southampton (UK) and University of Bergen (Norway).
Core contributor to 13 releases of the SuperDARN Radar Software Toolkit (downloaded 420+ times) and developer of the open-source TiVIE ionospheric model.
Co-lead of ISSI International Team 654, member of three SuperDARN working groups, and the ESA/CAS SMILE Ground-Based and Additional Science working group. Invited talks across 7 countries.