Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Aleida K Higginson (she/her)

(Associate Chief)

Aleida K Higginson (she/her)'s Contact Card & Information.
Email: aleida.k.higginson@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.286.7209
Org Code: 671
Address:
NASA/GSFC
Mail Code 671
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer:
NASA

Current Projects


Adaptively Refined MHD Solver (ARMS) Model Developer

Theory & Modeling


IMAP Deputy Mission Scientist

Outer Heliosphere


Parker Solar Probe WISPR Co-Investigator

Inner Heliosphere


Center for HelioAnalytics Helioweb PI

Positions/Employment


Supervisory Research Astrophysicisit

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, Maryland

October 2023 - Present

Associate Lab Chief for Solar Physics Lab (671)


Research Astrophysicist

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD

August 2020 - October 2023


Post Doctoral Fellow

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory - Laurel, MD

August 2018 - August 2020


Assistant Research Scientist

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI

January 2018 - August 2018


Postdoctoral Research Fellow

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI

December 2016 - January 2018


Graduate Student Research Assistant

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI

August 2011 - December 2016

Education


University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL

  • B.Sc., 2011, Astronomy/Astrophysics, Minor: Computer Sciences

Professional Societies


American Astronomical Society

2012 - Present


American Geophysical Union

2012 - Present

Awards


  • NASA GSFC Heliophysics Science Division Peer Award, 2021
  • Fred L. Scarf Award, Space Physics and Aeronomy, American Geophysical Union, 2018
  • Nominee, ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award, Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan, 2016
  • Brueckner Solar Physics Division Studentship Award, American Astronomical Society, 2015
  • First Place, Space and Planetary Sciences, University of Michigan Engineering Graduate Symposium, 2015
  • Best Research Presentation, SHINE Student Day, 2015
  • Rackham Travel Grant, University of Michigan, 2014
  • Rackham Travel Grant, University of Michigan, 2013
  • Second Place, Space and Planetary Sciences, University of Michigan Engineering Graduate Symposium, 2013
  • Dean's Fellowship, College of Engineering, University of Michigan, 2011

Special Experience


  • NASA Flight Projects Development Program Leadership Workshop


Selected Publications


Refereed

2023. "Advancing solar and heliospheric science through the ongoing development and support of atomic and laboratory plasma physics." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 10 1056255 [10.3389/fspas.2023.1056255] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "The Imprint of Intermittent Interchange Reconnection on the Solar Wind." Astrophysical Journal Letters 941 L29 [10.3847/2041-8213/aca8ae] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "The Solar Wind." Geophysical Monograph Series 1-33 [10.1002/9781119815600.ch1] [Article in Book]

2020. "Heliospheric Maps from Cassini INCA Early in the Cruise to Saturn." The Astrophysical Journal Letters 902 (2): L45 [10.3847/2041-8213/abbd9e] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Source and Propagation of a Streamer Blowout Coronal Mass Ejection Observed by the Parker Solar Probe." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 246 (2): 69 [10.3847/1538-4365/ab6ff9] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Relating Streamer Flows to Density and Magnetic Structures at the Parker Solar Probe." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 246 (2): 37 [10.3847/1538-4365/ab579a] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Analysis of the Internal Structure of the Streamer Blowout Observed by the Parker Solar Probe During the First Solar Encounter." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 246 (2): 63 [10.3847/1538-4365/ab61f5] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Near-Sun observations of an F-corona decrease and K-corona fine structure." Nature 576 (7786): 232-236 [10.1038/s41586-019-1807-x] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Magnetic Structures at the Boundary of the Closed Corona: Interpretation of S-Web Arcs." The Astrophysical Journal 869 (1): 60 [10.3847/1538-4357/aaed2b] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Structured Slow Solar Wind Variability: Streamer-blob Flux Ropes and Torsional Alfvén Waves." The Astrophysical Journal 859 (1): 6 [10.3847/1538-4357/aabc08] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Formation of Heliospheric Arcs of Slow Solar Wind." Astrophysical Journal 840 L10 [10.3847/2041-8213/aa6d72] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Dynamics of Coronal Hole Boundaries." Astrophysical Journal 837 113 [10.3847/1538-4357/837/2/113] [Journal Article/Letter]

Non-Refereed

2016. "Solar Wind Disconnects Venus's Magnetotail." Eos 97 [10.1029/2016eo054773] [Newspaper]

2016. "Can Solar and Space Physics Students Find Research Careers?." Eos 97 [10.1029/2016eo053227] [Newspaper]

2016. "Electrons Thrown Off Course in Near-Earth Magnetic Reconnection." Eos 97 [10.1029/2016eo051175] [Newspaper]

2016. "Half of Atmospheric Joule Heating Is Due to Small Oscillations." Eos 97 [10.1029/2016eo047017] [Newspaper]

2016. "Sun's Magnetic Fields Best at Forecasting Solar Cycle Peaks." Eos 97 [10.1029/2016eo046603] [Newspaper]