Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Yihua Zheng

(RESEARCH AST, FIELDS AND PARTICLES)

Yihua Zheng's Contact Card & Information.
Email: yihua.zheng@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.286.0111
Org Code: 674
Address:
NASA/GSFC
 Mail Code 674
 Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer:
NASA

Missions & Projects

Brief Bio

Dr. Zheng’s research experience includes magnetospheric physics, magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, and space weather. Dr. Zheng has authored/co-authored 70+ journal publications and numerous technical documents.


Beyond her research, Dr. Zheng has demonstrated leadership as the co-lead/lead (from 2010 to 2017) of the Space Weather Research Center (now the Moon-to-Mars Space Weather Analysis Office), providing crucial space weather services to NASA missions. Furthermore, Dr. Zheng led space weather bootcamps and training sessions for a diverse audience, including high school and college students, engineers, scientists, and professionals, both domestically and internationally. Active in the international space weather community, she is a vice chair of the COSPAR Panel on Radiation Belts Environment Modeling. She also plays a key role in the COSPAR ISWAT (International Space Weather Action Teams) initiative. She is consulted frequently on many aspects of space weather and its effects, including spacecraft anomalies, forecasting methods & tools, and model validation. She has been actively involved in U.S multiagency and international space weather efforts since 2010. She served as a GEM Steering Committee member from 2019 to 2023. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the LWS Program Analysis Group (LPAG) (2024 – 2027).


Currently serving as the U.S. Project Scientist for the SNIPE mission and leading multipoint data analysis methods for the Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) mission, Dr. Zheng has been actively involved in space missions/projects. She previously served as the Project Scientist for LWS/SET (Space Environment Testbeds) onboard Air Force and NASA’s DSX mission.


Dr. Zheng has served as the Subtopic Manager/Participating Subtopic Manager in space weather and Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Technical Monitor for the NASA SBIR/STTR program since 2011. In this role, she helps strengthen NASA’s space weather capabilities and encourages the growth and development of small businesses in space science and space weather modeling. 

Positions/Employment

Research Astrophysicist

NASA - GSFC

February 2010 - Present


Research Scientist

JHU/APL - Laurel, MD

February 2005 - January 2010


NRC Resident Research Associate

NRC - NASA/GSFC

August 2003 - February 2005


Postdoctoral Researcher

USRA/NASA/GSFC - Greenbelt,MD

September 2001 - July 2003


Education

Ph.D Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 2001



Awards

  • 2012 NASA Special Act Award – Outstanding Leadership in Space Weather Research
  • 2013 Robert H. Goddard Award: Exceptional Achievement for Outreach
  • 2014 NASA Group Honor Award - Exceptional Achievement Customer Service Team: Space Weather Research Center
  • 2015 NASA Group Achievement Honor Award: Spitzer Space Weather Collaborative Operation Team
  • 2015 Heliophysics Science Division Peer Award
  • 2018 NASA Group Achievement Award: CCMC team
  • 2019 Robert H. Goddard Award: Exceptional Achievement for Science – DREAM2 (Dynamic Response of the Environments at Asteroids, the Moon, and moons of Mars) Center for Space Environments
  • 2019 NASA-wide Recognition for Contributions to NASA SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research)/STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) Program
  • 2023 NASA Special Act Award -- Leadership as the NASA SNIPE Project Scientist
  • 2024 NASA Special Act Award -- For her work on implementing NAIRAS model at CCMC that has led to major benefits for our federal partners. 
  • 2024 NASA Space Weather Prominence Award -- For her contribution to NASA's SBIR/STTR program.


Selected Publications

Refereed

2023. "Making an executable paper with the Python in Heliophysics Community to foster open science and improve reproducibility." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 9 [10.3389/fspas.2022.977781] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "A Model of an Integrated Research and Education Program in Space Weather at a Community College." Space Weather Journal [doi.org/10.1029/2019SW00230] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Space Weather Modeling Capabilities Assessment: Auroral Precipitation and High‐Latitude Ionospheric Electrodynamics." Space Weather 17 (2): 212-215 [10.1029/2018sw002127] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Relativistic electron response to the combined magnetospheric impact of a coronal mass ejection overlapping with a high-speed stream: Van Allen Probes observations." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 120 (9): 7629-7641 [10.1002/2015ja021395] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Ensemble Modeling of CMEs Using the WSA–ENLIL+Cone Model." Sol Phys 290 (6): 1775-1814 [10.1007/s11207-015-0692-1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Assessing predictive ability of three auroral precipitation models using DMSP energy flux." Space Weather 13 61-71 [10.1002/2014SW001085] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Forecasting propagation and evolution of CMEs in an operational setting: What has been learned." Space Weather 11 (10): 557-574 [10.1002/swe.20096] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Non-linear whistler mode wave effects on magnetospheric energetic electrons." Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics 102 8-16 [10.1016/j.jastp.2013.03.018] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "The SCORE Scale: A Coronal Mass Ejection Typification System Based on Speed." Space Weather [10.1002/swe.20058] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Improving CME Forecasting Capability: An Urgent Need." SPACE WEATHER-THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS 11 641-642 [10.1002/2013SW001004] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "The magnetopause as an intermediary between interplanetary structures and the Earth's inner magnetosphere." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts A2290- [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Cassini Observations During the Saturn Auroral Campaign of Spring 2013 (Invited)." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts A4- [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "Large-scale observations of a subauroral polarizatioin by midlatitude SuperDARN radars: Instantaneous longitudinal velocity variations." Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics [10.1029/2011JA017232] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "Electron energy diffusion and advection due to non-linear electron-chorus wave interactions." Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics 80 152-160 [doi:10.1016/j.jastp.2012.01.011] [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "On the Relationship Between High Speed Solar Wind Streams and Radiation Belt Electron Fluxes." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts A7- [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "Attempt to quantitize non-linear wave particle interactions using multi-pass test particle code." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts 2038- [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Effects of plasma sheet properties on storm-time ring current." J. Geophys. Res. 115 (A8): A08220 [10.1029/2009JA014806] [Journal Article/Letter]

2009. "Two Moderate Storms During Solar Minimum: Combine Modeling and Observations." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts A1547- [Journal Article/Letter]

2009. "IBEX Backgrounds and Signal-to-Noise Ratio." Space Science Reviews 146 173-206 [10.1007/s11214-009-9515-8] [Journal Article/Letter]

2009. "Toward an integrated view of inner magnetosphere and radiation belts." Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics 71 (16): [doi: 10.1016/j.jastp.2009.04.01] [Journal Article/Letter]

2008. "Evaluation of substorm models with Cluster observations of plasma flow reversal in the magnetotail." Advances in Space Research 41 1611-1618 [10.1016/j.asr.2007.05.047] [Journal Article/Letter]

2008. "A Study of Energetic Neutral Oxygen Emissions and its Implications." AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts A10- [Journal Article/Letter]

2008. "Probing Ring Current Properties From Multiple Satellite Data and Numerical Analyses." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts A1563- [Journal Article/Letter]

2008. "Flux transfer events simultaneously observed by Polar and Cluster: Flux rope in the subsolar region and flux tube addition to the polar cusp." Journal of Geophysical Research (Space Physics) 113 [Journal Article/Letter]

2008. "On ionospheric trough conductance and subauroral polarization streams: Simulation results." Journal of Geophysical Research 113 (A04209): [doi:10.1029/2007JA012532] [Journal Article/Letter]

2008. "Viewing perspective in energetic neutral atom intensity." Journal of Geophysical Research 113 (A09217): [doi:10.1029/2008JA013070] [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Breakdown of the frozen-in condition in the Earth's magnetotail." Journal of Geophysical Research (Space Physics) 112 [4215-10.1029/2006JA012000] [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Ring current auroras." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts - [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Effects of Ionospheric Trough on the Relationship Between the Ring Current and SAPS." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts A5- [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Cluster Observations in the Inner Magnetosphere during the 18 April 2002 Sawtooth Event: Dipolarization and Injection at r = 4.6 Re." AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts 6- [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Cluster observation of plasma flow reversal in the magnetotail during a substorm." 36th COSPAR Scientific Assembly 36 817- [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Prelude to THEMIS Tail Conjunction Study." AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts A6- [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "The Auroral Ionosphere as a Source of Magnetospheric Plasma." 36th COSPAR Scientific Assembly 36 1645- [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Controlling Factors of Region 2 Field-Aligned Current and its Relationship to the Ring Current: Model Results." AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts A3- [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Cluster Observations of Plasma Flow Reversal in the Magnetotail During a Substorm." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts 363- [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "How Does the Ring Current and the Inner Magnetospheric Electric Fields Control Each Other?." AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts A5- [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Relationship between Region 2 field-aligned current and the ring current: Model results." Journal of Geophysical Research 111 (A11): A11S06 [10.1029/2006JA011603] [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Characteristics of 2-6 MeV electrons in the Slot region and inner radiation belt." Journal of Geophysical Research 111 (A10204): [doi:10.1029/2006JA011748] [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Coordinated observation of field-line resonance in the mid-magnetotail." Annales Geophysicae 24 707-723 [doi:10.5194/angeo-24-707-2006] [Journal Article/Letter]

2005. "How the Ring Current Couples to the Radiation Belts and the Ionosphere." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts A3- [Journal Article/Letter]

2005. "Global Ring Current Ion Distributions Obtained by IMAGE/HENA DURING STORMS AND SUBSTORMS." AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts 3- [Journal Article/Letter]

2005. "Polar study of ionospheric ion outflow versus energy input." JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS 110 [10.1029/2004JA010995] [Journal Article/Letter]

2005. "Cluster observation of continuous reconnection at dayside magnetopause around cusp." Annales Geophysicae 23 (6): 2199-2215 [doi:10.5194/angeo-23-2199-2005] [Journal Article/Letter]

2005. "Polar study of ionospheric ion outflow versus its energy input." Journal of Geophysical Research 110 (A07210): [doi:10.1029/2004JA010955] [Journal Article/Letter]

2004. "Coordinated polar spacecraft, geosynchronous spacecraft, and ground-based observations of magnetopause processes and their coupling to the ionosphere." Annales Geophysicae 22 4329-4350 [10.5194/angeo-22-4329-2004] [Journal Article/Letter]

2004. "Coordinated polar spacecraft; geosynchronous spacecraft; and ground-based observations of magnetopause processes and their coupling to the ionosphere." ANNALES GEOPHYSICAE 22 4329-4350 [Journal Article/Letter]

2003. "Polar Study of Ion Outflow Versus its Energy Input." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts 7- [Journal Article/Letter]

2003. "Multipoint measurements of field-aligned current density in the auroral zone." Journal of Geophysical Research 108 (A5): [doi:10.1029/2002JA009450] [Journal Article/Letter]

2003. "A Radiation Belt – Ring Current Forecasting Model." Space Weather 1 (3): 1013 [doi:10.1029/2003SW000007] [Journal Article/Letter]

2002. "Forecasting the Radiation Belt Environment: Model and Product." AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts A10- [Journal Article/Letter]

2002. "Effects of Wave-Particle Interactions on Radiation Belt Development." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts A506- [Journal Article/Letter]

2002. "Auroral Precipitation and Quasi-Trapped electrons." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts 3- [Journal Article/Letter]

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