CEDAR Postdocs

CEDAR Post-Doc awards were given to the sponsoring institution to administer up through the FY2011 awards. From FY2012 on, the CEDAR, GEM and SHINE community postdocs were combined into Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) postdocs. The AGS awards were given directly to the proposing CEDAR Post-Doc instead of to their sponsoring institution, which meant that international students were not eligible. They instead could apply through the regular Aeronomy grant process for a similar amount of money.

The AGS Postdoc proposals are due each February. All awards are selected on the basis of the proposed research by the AGS Post-Doc. CEDAR AGS Post-Docs are expected to present their work during their second year at the annual CEDAR Workshop. The list of the official and extra CEDAR Post-Docs follows.

AGS (CEDAR, GEM and SHINE) Postdoctoral Research Program. The full list of active AGS PRF awards can be found through a recent search on the NSF web-site. 

 

FY2016

Katrina Bossert, PhD in 2015 from the University of Colorado under the direction of Jeffrey Thayer. Project: Gravity Wave Multi-Scale Interactions and Measurements, started in February 2016 at GATS, Inc. in Boulder, CO.  NSF Award Link. Final report in 2018.

Evan Thomas, PhD in 2016 from Virginia Tech under the direction of Jo Baker and Michael Ruohoniemi. Project is joint with GEM: The Role of Electric Fields in Plasma Structuring and Transport in the Mid- to High-Latitude Ionosphere, started in April 2016 at Dartmouth College. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2018.

 

FY2015

Alexander Fletcher, Stanford University under the direction of Sigrid Close. Project: High-Order Simulations of E-region Turbulence and Large Scale Structuring, started in July 2015. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2017.

 

FY2014

Justin Yonker, PhD in May 2013 from Virginia Tech under the direction of Scott Bailey. Project: Improving Global Simulations of Odd Nitrogen in the Middle and Upper Atmosphere, with the CEDAR AGS postdoc award delayed to start in June 2014 for 1 year. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2016.

 

FY2013

Romina Nikoukar, PhD in August 2010 from University of Illinois under the direction of Farzad Kamalabadi. Project: "Development of a Data Assimilation Model for the Plasmasphere" hosted at Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN, with the CEDAR/GEM AGS postdoc beginning in September 2012. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2017.

 

FY2012

No institutional CEDAR or AGS Post-doc awards were given for FY2012.

 

FY2011

Robert Marshall, PhD in May 2009 from Stanford University under the direction of Umran Inan. Project: Fully Electrodynamic 3D Time-Domain Model of Lightning-Ionosphere Interactions. Sponsored by Supriya Chakrabarti of Boston University, Boston, MA, with the CEDAR postdoc beginning in December 2010. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2013  (pdf)

Marco Milla, PhD in April 2010 from University of Illinois under the direction of Erhan Kudeki. Project: Study of the effects of Coulomb collisions on H+ and He+ plasmas for topside incoherent scatter radar applications at Jicamarca. Sponsored by Erhan Kudeki at University of Illinois. Research at the Radio Observatorio de Jicamarca in Peru, with the CEDAR postdoc beginning in February 2011. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2013 (pdf)

Kim Nielsen, PhD in 2007 from Utah State University under the direction of Michael Taylor. Project: An Investigation of Antarctic Mesospheric Gravity Waves Utilizing a High Altitude Numerical Weather Prediction System. Sponsored by David Broutman of Computational Physics Inc. in Springfield, VA, with the CEDAR postdoc beginning in March 2011. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2013 (pdf)

 

FY2010

Jonathan T. Fentzke, PhD in 2009 from the University of Colorado. Thesis advisor: Diego Janches (NWRA Inc.-CoRA Div.) with Academic Advisor: Xinzhao Chu (CU-Boulder). Project: Meteoric Smoke Studies at High Latitude using the Poker Flat ISR. The CEDAR postdoc start date is October 2009. Took a leave of absence starting April 2011 to work at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2012 (pdf)

Brian Laughman, PhD in 2009 from the University of Colorado under the direction of David Fritts. Project: Numerical Modeling of Mesopsheric Bores, Nonlinear Ducted Waves, and Interpretation of Observations in the Middle Atmosphere. Sponsored by David Fritts at NWRA, Inc.-CoRA Div., Boulder, CO, with the CEDAR postdoc beginning in September 2009. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2012 (pdf)

Ethan Miller, PhD in 2009 from the University of Illinois under the direction of Jonathan Makela. Project: Coordinated Optical and Radar Observations of the Ionosphere and Thermosphere. Sponsored by Elsayed Talaat at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, with the CEDAR postdoc beginning in September 2009. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2012 (pdf)

Deepali Saran, PhD in 2008 from the Indiana University under the direction of Philip S Stevens. Project: Aeronomical and Spectroscopic Studies of Key Airglow Features at High/Low Latitudes. Sponsored by Tom Slanger at SRI International, with the CEDAR postdoc beginning in March 2010. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2012 (pdf)

Brentha Thurairajah, PhD in 2009 from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks under the direction of Richard Collins. Project: Polar Mesospheric Cloud Structures as Evidence of Coupling between the Upper and Lower Atmosphere. Sponsored by Scott Bailey at Virginia Tech, with the CEDAR postdoc beginning in October 2009. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2011 (pdf)

 

FY2008-2009

Guiping Liu, PhD in 2006 from York University under the direction of Gordon Shepherd. Project: The Effect of Atmospheric Tides on the Equatorial and Near-Polar Ionosphere. Sponsored by Thomas Immel at the Space Sciences Laboratory University of California-Berkeley, with the CEDAR post-doc beginning January 2009. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2010 (pdf)

(Shared between CEDAR and GEM:) Yue Deng, PhD in August 2006 from the University of Michigan under the direction of Aaron Ridley. Project: Assess the Impact of Non-Hydrostatic Processes on the Response of the Thermosphere/Ionosphere System to Magnetospheric Forcing. Sponsored by Timothy Fuller-Rowell at CIRES/University of Colorado starting October 2008. NSF Award Link. Final report in 2010 (pdf)

 

FY2007-2008

Stan Briczinski, PhD in 2007 from The Pennsylvania State University under the direction of John Mathews. Project: Signal Processing of O [II] Emission Spectra from Observations. Sponsored by Susan Nossal at the University of Wisconsin at Madison starting in January 2008. NSF Award Link 

Jonathan Snively, PhD from he Pennsylvania State University under the direction of Victor Pasko. Project: Analysis and Modeling of Breaking Short Period Gravity Waves and Their Effects on the Dynamic Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere. Sponsored by Michael Taylor at the Utah State University. NSF Award Link Final report 2010 (pdf)

Joseph Comberiate, PhD in Dec 2006 from University of Illinois under the direction of Farzad Kamalabadi. Project: Coordinated Space-Based Observations of Equatorial Plasma Bubbles Using TIMED/Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) and Defense Meteorological Satellites Program. Sponsored by Larry Paxton at Applied Physics Lab, Johns Hopkins University starting in December 2006. NSF Award Link 

Ningyu Liu, PhD in May 2006 from the Pennsylvania State University under the direction of Victor Pasko. Project: Modeling Studies of Optical Properties of Sprite Streamers and Their Chemical Effects On the Upper Atmosphere. Sponsored by Victor Pasko at the Pennsylvania State University starting in September 2006. NSF Award Link 

Carlos Martinis, PhD in May 2006 from Boston University under the direction of Michael Mendillo. Project: Imaging Studies of Ionospheric Instabilities Sponsored by Michael Mendillo at Boston University starting in October 2006. NSF Award Link Now a senior research scientist at the Center for Space Physics, Boston University.

 

FY2006-2007

Mariangel Fedrizzi, PhD in Dec 2003 from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil under Ivan J. Kantor, Eurico R. de Paula and Walter D. Gonzalez. Project: Physical Interpretation of Total Electron Content (TEC) Response During Intense Geomagnetic Storms Using Data Assimilation and Physically-Based Model Sponsored by Timothy Fuller-Rowell at CIRES/University of Colorado starting in August 2004, with the CEDAR post-doc beginning February 2006. NSF Award Link

(Shared between CEDAR and GEM:) Maria Spasojevic, PhD in Jan 2004 from Stanford University under Umran Inan. Project: Dawnside Proton-Cyclotron Interactions and Their Implications for the Proton Aurora. Sponsored by Umran Inan at Stanford University starting in Nov 2004 with the CEDAR/GEM post-doc starting Nov 2005. NSF Award Link

(Shared between CEDAR and GEM:) Endawoke Yizengaw, PhD in May 2004 from La Trobe University in Australia under peter Dyson. Project: Imaging the inner magnetospheric plasma distribution using ground- and space-based GPS TEC measurements. Sponsored by Mark Moldwin at UCLA starting in May 2004, with CEDAR/GEM post-doc in late 2005. NSF Award Link 

 

FY2005-2006

Josef Drexler, PhD in June 2004 from University of Western Ontario in Canada under Jean-Pierre St-Maurice. Project: Nonlocal effects in the equatorial and auroral electrojets. Sponsored by David Hysell at Cornell University starting in February 2005. NSF Award Link. 

Pamela Loughmiller, PhD in 2008 from Cornell University under Michael Kelley. Project: Observational and modeling study of mesospheric bores. Sponsored by Michael Hickey at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University starting in September? 2006. NSF Award Link

Mitsumu Ejiri, PhD in 2002 from University of Nagoya in Japan under Kazuo Shiokawa. Project: Momentum fluxes and height variability of mesospheric gravity waves obtained by imagers. Sponsored by Michael Taylor at Utah State University starting 1 June 2005. NSF Award Link 

 

FY2004-2005

Lars Dyrud, PhD in January 2004 from Boston University under Meers Oppenheim. Project: "Modeling Radar Observations of Meteor Trails". Sponsored by Meer Oppenheim starting in January 2004. NSF Award Link  Now scientist at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

Lara Waldrop, 2004 PhD from Boston University under Ted Fritz. Project: Coupled Thermosphere/Ionosphere/Exosphere Neutral Density Measurement Initiative Sponsored by Erhan Kudeki of the University of Illinois. NSF Award Link  Now research scientist at UIUC ECE department.

Paul Withers, 2003 PhD from University of Arizona under Stephen Bougher. Project: Photo-Chemistry and Neutral-Plasma Coupling at Earth and Mars. Sponsored by Michael Mendillo of Boston University starting 1 December 2003. NSF Award Link.  Now senior research associate Boston University's Center for Space Physics.

Tao Yuan, June 2004 PhD from Colorado State University under Chiao-Yao (Joe) She. Project: Seasonal variations in mesopase region temperatures, zonal and meridional winds: Climatology and variability of mean-state, diurnal and semidiurnal tides. Sponsored by Chiao-Yao (Joe) She of Colorado State University starting June 2004. NSF Award Link.  Now research scientist at USU at Center for Atmospheric & Space Sciences.

 

FY2003-2004

Rebecca Bishop, 2001 PhD from the University of Texas at Dallas under Gregory Earle. Project: "Investigation of Ionospheric Coupling to Atlantic Hurricanes and Tropical Depressions". Sponsored by Miguel Larsen of Clemson University starting 1 Jan 2003.

Aimee Merkel, 2002 PhD from the University of Colorado under Gary Thomas. Project: "Observational and Modeling Studies of Dynamical Forcing on Polar Mesospheric Clouds". Sponsored by Rolando Garcia of ACD/NCAR starting 10 Feb 2003.

(Alternate/Addtional Funding:) Weilin Pan, 2002 PhD from the University of Illinois under Chet Gardner. Project: "Investigating noctilucent clouds at Sondrestrom, Greenland." Sponsored by Jeff Thayer of SRI International starting 23 September 2002.

 

FY2002-2003

Alok Taori, 2001 PhD from the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India with R. Sridharan. Project: "Investigations of gravity wave propagation and dissipation in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region and associated OH/O2 temperature signatures". Sponsored by Mike Taylor of Utah State University beginning Apr 15, 2002.

Rob Wilson,, 2001 PhD from Clemson University under Miguel Larsen. Project: "An Arecibo observational study of seasonal metal layer dynamics and irregularities associated with mid-latitude sporadic E." Sponsored by Tim Kane of the Pennsylvania State University starting November 2001.

(Alternate/Addtional Funding:) Jim Boulter,, 2002 PhD from the University of Colorado at Boulder under John Birks. Project: "Effects of Heterogeneous Atomic Oxygen Reactions on Mesospheric Water Ice Formation." Sponsored by Jochen Marschall of SRI International starting 03 January 2002.

 

FY2001

Takuya Kawahara, 1995 PhD from Tohoku University in Japan. Project: "Tidal and mean climatology of mesopause temperature and winds observed by a two-beam day and night narrowband sodium lidar". Sponsored by Chiao-Yao (Joe) She of Colorado State University. (Kawahara finished out the CEDAR Post-Doc of Hu.)

 

FY2001-2002

Tai-Yin Huang, 1997 PhD from the University of Cincinnati. Project: "A numerical study on time-dependent effects of ducting". Sponsored by Michael Hickey of Clemson University.

Diego Janches, 2000 PhD from the Pennsylvania State University. Project: "An Arecibo/EISCAT observational investigation of the effects of the meteor mass flux on the 80-120 km atmosphere/ionosphere". Sponsored by John Mathews of the Pennsylvania State University. Was a senior research scientist at NWRA, Inc.-CoRA Div. Boulder, CO, now at NASA/GSFC in Maryland.

 

FY2000

Zhilin Hu, 1998 PhD from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. Project: "Tidal and mean climatology of mesopause temperature and winds observed by a two-beam day and night narrowband sodium lidar". Sponsored by Chiao-Yao (Joe) She of Colorado State University.

 

FY1999-2000

Jorge Chau, 1998 PhD from the University of Colorado. Project: "Plasma Irregularities in Peru". Sponsored by Donald Farley of Cornell University, but working in Peru.

Steven Smith, 1997 PhD from University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Project: "Mesospheric Acoustic Gravity Wave Imaging and Tomography at a Sub-Auroral Site". Sponsored by Michael Mendillo of Boston University.

 

FY1998-1999

Onder Kivanc, 1997 PhD from University of Texas at Dallas. Project: "Upper Boundary Conditions in the NCAR TIEGCM". Sponsored by Cassandra Fesen of the University of Texas at Dallas. Became a Research Associate at the University of Texas at Dallas. Left the field to work for American Airlines.

Ludger Scherliess, 1997 PhD from Utah State University. Project: "Empirical Electric Field Model". Sponsored by Bela Fejer of the University of Utah and Art Richmond of HAO/NCAR. Became a Post-Doc at Utah State University.

 

FY1997-1998

Bifford Williams, 1997 PhD from University of Colorado. Project: "Mesopause Tides Based on Extensive MODA and Sodium Lidar Data Sets". Sponsored by Chiao-Yao (Joe) She of Colorado State University. Became a Research Scientist at NWRA, Inc.-CoRA Division in Boulder, CO.

 

FY1996-1997

Victor Pasko, 1996 PhD from Stanford University. Project: "Electrodynamic Coupling of the Troposphere and Mesophere in Thunderstorm Regions". Sponsored by Umran Inan of Stanford University. Now at the Pennsylvania State University.

Judy Fennelly, 1997 PhD from University of Alabama in Huntsville. Project: "Validation of Retrieval Techniques Using Atmosphere Explorer Data". (In place of Redgie Lancaster who chose to go to University of Michigan instead.) Sponsored by Phil Richards of the University of Alabama in Hunstville. Became a Senior Scientist at ITT Industries in Indiana. Now moved.

 

FY1996

Larisa Goncharenko, 1988 MSc from Kharkov State Polytechnic, Ukraine, and work towards a PhD there. Project: "Data Analysis of Lower Thermosphere Using Millstone Hill Radar Observations". Sponsored by Joseph Salah of MIT/Haystack Observatory. Became a Research Scientist at MIT/Haystack Observatory.

Jirong Yu, 1994 PhD from Colorado State University. Project: "Observational Studies of Tidal Perturbations in Mesopause Region Winds and Temperatures". Sponsored by Chester Gardner at the University of Illinois. Became a Senior Engineer at the Science and Technology Corporation.

 

FY1995-1996

Susan Nossal, 1994 PhD from University of Wisconsin. Project: "Investigation of the Upper Atmospheric Hydrogen Boundary by Linking Fabry-Perot Observations with Upper Atmosphere Models". Sponsored by Craig Tepley? at the Arecibo Observatory and by Raymond Roble at HAO/NCAR. Became a Research Associate at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

 

FY1995

Wei Deng, 1994 PhD from the University of Michigan. Project: "Global Study of Tides During LTCS Campaigns". Sponsored by John Foster? at the Millstone Hill Observatory. Became a Software Engineer at the Boston Technological Corporation.

 

FY1994-1995

Rick Doe, 1994 PhD from Boston University. Project: "Nightside Signatures for the Polar Cap Boundary". Sponsored by John Kelly at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). Became a Research Physicist at SRI.

 

FY1992-1993

Christophe Peymirat, 1991 PhD from the University of Paris, France. Project: "Couple the Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model". Sponsored by Art Richmond of HAO/NCAR. Became a Maitre de Conferences at the Universite de Versailles, France, and later joined the Centre de Recherches en Physique de l'Environnement Terrestre et Planetaire in Velizy, France as well as the faculty of the University of Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France.

 

FY1991-1992

Daniel Senft, 1991 PhD from the University of Illinois. Project: "Sodium Wind/Temperature Lidar Studies of Mesopause Dynamics". Sponsored by Chester Gardner of the University of Illinois. Became a Senior Engineer at Rockwell Power Systems.

 

FY1990-1991

John Sahr, 1990 PhD from Cornell University. Project: "Design of New Data Acquisition System for Jicamarca". Sponsored by Donald Farley? of Cornell University. Became an tenured Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Washington.

David Knudsen, 1990 PhD from Cornell University. Project: "Incoherent Scatter Radar Spectrum Distortions from Intense Auroral Turbulence". Sponsored by Donald Farley? at Cornell University to work at the Max-Planck Institut fur Extraterrestrische Physik in Germany. Became a tenured Professor and assistant department head at University of Calgary.

 

FY1989-1990

Jean Lilensten, 1989 PhD from the University of Grenoble, France. Project: "Transport of Suprathermal Electrons in the Auroral Ionosphere". Sponsored by Raymond Roble of HAO/NCAR. Became a Research Scientist at the Centre National de Recherce Scientifique (CNRS) in Grenoble, France.

 

FY1988-1989

Julie Moses , 1989 PhD from the University of California in Los Angeles. Project: "Ionospheric Convection During Substorms". Sponsored by Raymond Roble of HAO/NCAR. Worked at Goddard Space Flight Center, then became a Research Associate at the Queen Mary and Westfield College in the UK, and later worked as science staff for the US Congress.

 

FY1987-1988

Stan Solomon, 1987 PhD from the University of Michigan. Project: "Airglow and Auroral emissions Modeling". Sponsored by Raymond Roble of HAO/NCAR. Became a Research Associate at the University of Colorado. Moved to HAO/NCAR in 2000.