Dr. Mitchell is a research scientist as a member of the Energetic Particle Laboratory within the Heliospheric Science Division at NASA/GSFC. He was previously a NASA postdoctoral research fellow under the NASA Postdoctoral Program award. He completed his PhD in 2022 through the George Washington University Department of Physics performing his research at NASA/GSFC. Dr. Mitchell's research interests include the study of solar energetic particles and the development of neutron spectrometers for space applications.
J. Grant Mitchell
(RESEARCH AST, FIELDS AND PARTICLES)
| Email: | john.g.mitchell@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.286.8781 |
| Org Code: | 672 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 672 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: |
Brief Bio
Current Projects
The SOlar Neutron TRACking (SONTRAC) Instrument
Solar Radiation
ISOIS on Parker Solar Probe
Solar Radiation
High-energy Ion Telescope (HIT) on the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe
Solar Radiation
Lunar Orbiting & On-surface Neutron Spectrometer (LOONS)
Planetary surfaces
Positions/Employment
NASA Postdoctoral Research Fellow
NASA/GSFC - NASA/GSFC
November 2022 - August 2023
Research Astrophysicist
NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
August 2023 - Present
Teaching Experience
Teaching assistant for 4 semesters of University Physics with Biological Applications. Winner of the 2018-2019 Bennhold Family Award for Best Teaching on the part of a Graduate Student at the George Washington University Department of Physics.
Education
- Ph.D. (Physics), George Washington University, Washington, DC, November 2022
- Dissertation: The Physics of Solar Energetic Particles and Their Detection
- M.S. (Physics), George Washington University, January 2020
- M.Phil. (Physics), George Washington University, May 2020
- B.S. (Physics), University of Maryland College Park (UMCP), May 2017
- B.S. (Kinesiology), University of Maryland College Park (UMCP), May 2011
Awards
2025 GSFC Heliophysics Science Division Peer Award
2024 American Geophysical Union Basu United States Early Career Award For Research Excellence in Space Physics and Aeronomy Science
2021-2022 Gus W. Weiss Prize for Outstanding Student in Physics, George Washington University, Department of Physics
2018-2019 Bennhold Family Award for Best Teaching on the part of a Graduate Student, George Washington University, Department of Physics
2016 NASA Group Achievement Award, SuperTIGER Recovery Team
Sigma Pi Sigma National Physics Honor Society
2013 United States Antarctica Service Medal
Publications
Refereed
2026. "IMAP’s Role in Understanding Particle Injection and Energization Throughout the Heliosphere.", Space Science Reviews, 222 (1): 6 [10.1007/s11214-025-01257-4] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "Space Weather Science to Enhance Forecasting with the NASA IMAP Active Link for Real-Time (I-ALiRT) System.", Space Science Reviews, 221 (8): 117 [10.1007/s11214-025-01244-9] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "Species-dependent Variability in the Energy Spectra of Intense Solar Energetic Particle Events Observed by PSP/ISʘIS/EPI-Hi/LET.", The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 281 (1): 21 [10.3847/1538-4365/ae07d5] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "Energy‐Dependent SEP Fe/O Abundances During the May 2024 Superstorm.", Space Weather, 23 (11): e2025SW004604 [10.1029/2025sw004604] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "Interstellar Mapping And Acceleration Probe: The NASA IMAP Mission.", Space Science Reviews, 221 (8): 100 [10.1007/s11214-025-01224-z] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "Distinct Solar Energetic Particle Shock Intensity–Diffusion Coefficient Relationships in the Inner Heliosphere.", The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 993 (1): L15 [10.3847/2041-8213/ae109c] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "Observations of Solar Gamma-Ray Flares by ISOIS/EPI-Hi/HET on Parker Solar Probe.", Proceedings of 39th International Cosmic Ray Conference — PoS(ICRC2025), 1320 [10.22323/1.501.1320] [Proceedings]
2025. "Exploring SEP Transport in Widespread Events with Different Heliospheric Current Sheet Models.", The Astrophysical Journal, 991 (1): 104 [10.3847/1538-4357/adf8d9] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "Large-amplitude Whistler Precursors and >MeV Particles Observed at a Weak Interplanetary Shock by Parker Solar Probe.", The Astrophysical Journal, 987 (1): 31 [10.3847/1538-4357/add6a8] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "Diverse Dust Populations in the Near-Sun Environment Characterized by PSP/ISʘIS.", The Astrophysical Journal, 984 (2): 165 [10.3847/1538-4357/adc258] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "The reason for the widespread energetic storm particle event of 13 March 2023.", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 695 A127 [10.1051/0004-6361/202453596] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "Delay of Near-relativistic Electrons with Respect to Type III Radio Bursts throughout the Inner Heliosphere.", The Astrophysical Journal, 980 (1): 96 [10.3847/1538-4357/adaa7c] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "The solar cycle 25 multi-spacecraft solar energetic particle event catalog of the SERPENTINE project.", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 687 A72 [10.1051/0004-6361/202449831] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "IS⊙IS Solar γ-Ray Measurements: Initial Observations and Calibrations.", The Astrophysical Journal, 968 (1): 33 [10.3847/1538-4357/ad3fb2] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "Acceleration of Electrons and Ions by an “Almost” Astrophysical Shock in the Heliosphere.", The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 968 (1): L8 [10.3847/2041-8213/ad4daa] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "Observations of the 2022 September 5 Solar Energetic Particle Event at 15 Solar Radii.", The Astrophysical Journal, 966 (2): 148 [10.3847/1538-4357/ad37f8] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "Multispacecraft Observations of a Widespread Solar Energetic Particle Event on 2022 February 15–16.", The Astrophysical Journal, 963 (2): 107 [10.3847/1538-4357/ad167f] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "The Lunar OutpOst Neutron Spectrometer (LOONS).", 2022 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference (NSS/MIC), 1-5 [10.1109/NSS/MIC44845.2022.10399092] [Proceedings]
2024. "Jovian Electrons in the Inner Heliosphere: Opportunities for Multi-spacecraft Observations and Modeling.", The Astrophysical Journal, 961 (1): 57 [10.3847/1538-4357/ad11db] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Analyses of ∼0.05–2 MeV Ions Associated with the 2022 February 16 Energetic Storm Particle Event Observed by Parker Solar Probe.", The Astrophysical Journal, 958 (2): 144 [10.3847/1538-4357/acfb86] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Next-generation SOlar Neutron TRACking (SONTRAC) instrument.", Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 1054 168352 [10.1016/j.nima.2023.168352] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "The 17 April 2021 widespread solar energetic particle event.", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 674 A105 [10.1051/0004-6361/202345938] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Unexpected energetic particle observations near the Sun by Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter.", Physics of Plasmas, 30 (5): [10.1063/5.0147683] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "A Living Catalog of Parker Solar Probe IS⊙IS Energetic Particle Enhancements.", The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 264 (2): 31 [10.3847/1538-4365/aca4c8] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "On the Energy Dependence of Galactic Cosmic Ray Anisotropies in the Very Local Interstellar Medium.", The Astrophysical Journal, 934 (1): 41 [10.3847/1538-4357/ac6fe5] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "First Measurements of Jovian Electrons by Parker Solar Probe/IS⊙IS within 0.5 au of the Sun.", The Astrophysical Journal, 933 (2): 171 [10.3847/1538-4357/ac75ce] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "PSP/IS⊙IS Observation of a Solar Energetic Particle Event Associated with a Streamer Blowout Coronal Mass Ejection during Encounter 6.", The Astrophysical Journal, 925 (2): 212 [10.3847/1538-4357/ac408f] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "PSP/IS⊙IS observations of the 29 November 2020 solar energetic particle event.", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 656 A29 [10.1051/0004-6361/202140967] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Solar energetic particle heavy ion properties in the widespread event of 2020 November 29.", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 656 L12 [10.1051/0004-6361/202141310] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Energetic Particles Associated with a Coronal Mass Ejection Shock Interacting with a Convected Magnetic Structure.", The Astrophysical Journal, 921 (2): 102 [10.3847/1538-4357/ac1ce1] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Energetic Electron Observations by Parker Solar Probe/IS⊙IS during the First Widespread SEP Event of Solar Cycle 25 on 2020 November 29.", The Astrophysical Journal, 919 (2): 119 [10.3847/1538-4357/ac110e] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Small Electron Events Observed by Parker Solar Probe/IS⊙IS during Encounter 2.", The Astrophysical Journal, 902 (1): 20 [10.3847/1538-4357/abb2a4] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Small, Low-energy, Dispersive Solar Energetic Particle Events Observed by Parker Solar Probe.", The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 246 65 [10.3847/1538-4365/ab643d] [Journal Article/Letter]