Pankaj Kumar

Pankaj Kumar

  • RESEARCH ASSOC PROF
  • 301.286.5453 | 111.111.1111
  • NASA/GSFC
  • Mail Code: 674
  • Greenbelt , MD 20771
  • Employer: AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
  • Brief Bio

    Dr. Pankaj Kumar joined the Space Weather laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in April 2017 through an appointment to the NASA postdoc program. Prior to this, he held senior research scientist and postdoc positions at Korea Astronomy and Space Science institute (KASI) and spent more than 6 years in South Korea. Dr. Kumar has more than 15 years research experience in solar physics. His research focusses on the initiation of solar eruptions (CMEs, Jets), magnetic reconnection/particle acceleration in solar flares, and wave/oscillation in solar atmosphere. He has numerous experience in the analysis and interpretation of multiwavelength data from NASA’s missions (SDO, IRIS, STEREO,HINODE, RHESSI, SOHO etc.). He has contributed to the understanding of flare/CME initiation (filament interaction, loop-loop interaction, Kink instability), flux rope formation and eruption, excitation of slow and fast mode waves in coronal loops, origin of quasi-periodic pulsations in solar flares, breakout jets, radio and EUV observations of plasmoid formation and ejection in flare current sheet etc. Dr. Kumar also has experience in the ground based Hα observations of the Sun and has participated in eclipse observations as well. He has served as a potential reviewer for journals (e.g, ApJ, ApJL, A&A, Solar Physics etc.). He is also a member of American Geophysical Union and has been awarded several academic prizes (e.g., research fellowships, KASI best postdoc award, NPP fellowship, NASA HGI grant, NSF grant).

    Research Interests:

    Initiation of solar eruptions (CMEs/Flares, Jets), Particle acceleration, Coronal waves/oscillation, Quasiperiodic pulsations (QPPs) in solar flares

    Analysis/interpretation of multiwavelength data from NASA's missions (SDO, STEREO, RHESSI, Hinode, IRIS, Parker Solar Probe etc.) and ground based telescopes (H-alpha and Radio observations)

    Publications

     

    Positions/Employment

    9/2022 - Present

    Research Associate Professor

    American University/NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD, USA
    4/2020 - 8/2022

    Research Assistant Professor

    American University/NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD, USA
    4/2017 - 3/2020

    NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) Fellow

    NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD, USA
    4/2014 - 3/2017

    Senior Researcher

    Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), Daejeon, South Korea
    12/2010 - 3/2014

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), Daejeon, South Korea
    6/2006 - 12/2010

    Research Fellow

    Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital, India

    Education

    Ph.D. : Solar Physics, Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital-India, 2011
    M.Phil. : Physics, CCS University, Meerut (UP), India, 2006
    B.Ed. : Physics and Mathematics, K.V. College Machara, CCS University, Meerut (UP), India, 2005
    M.Sc. : Physics, Meerut College, CCS University, Meerut (UP), India, 2004
    B.Sc. : Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Meerut College, CCS University, Meerut (UP), India, 2002
     

    Awards

    NSF SHINE (Solar, Heliospheric, and INterplanetary Environment) research grant 2022, Role: Principal Investigator

    NASA HSD (Heliophysics Science Division) Peer Award 2021

    NASA HGI (Heliophysics Guest Investigators) grant 2018 (Role: Principal Investigator)

    NPP (NASA Postdoctoral Program) fellowship 2016

    KASI Best Postdoc Award 2013

    Postdoctoral Fellowship at Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), Daejeon, Republic of Korea, December 2010-March 2014.

    Research Fellowship at Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, India, July 2006-December 2010

    CSIR-NET (National Eligibility Test 2006)

    JEST (Joint Entrance Screening Test 2006)

     

    Brief Bio

    Dr. Pankaj Kumar joined the Space Weather laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in April 2017 through an appointment to the NASA postdoc program. Prior to this, he held senior research scientist and postdoc positions at Korea Astronomy and Space Science institute (KASI) and spent more than 6 years in South Korea. Dr. Kumar has more than 15 years research experience in solar physics. His research focusses on the initiation of solar eruptions (CMEs, Jets), magnetic reconnection/particle acceleration in solar flares, and wave/oscillation in solar atmosphere. He has numerous experience in the analysis and interpretation of multiwavelength data from NASA’s missions (SDO, IRIS, STEREO,HINODE, RHESSI, SOHO etc.). He has contributed to the understanding of flare/CME initiation (filament interaction, loop-loop interaction, Kink instability), flux rope formation and eruption, excitation of slow and fast mode waves in coronal loops, origin of quasi-periodic pulsations in solar flares, breakout jets, radio and EUV observations of plasmoid formation and ejection in flare current sheet etc. Dr. Kumar also has experience in the ground based Hα observations of the Sun and has participated in eclipse observations as well. He has served as a potential reviewer for journals (e.g, ApJ, ApJL, A&A, Solar Physics etc.). He is also a member of American Geophysical Union and has been awarded several academic prizes (e.g., research fellowships, KASI best postdoc award, NPP fellowship, NASA HGI grant, NSF grant).

    Research Interests:

    Initiation of solar eruptions (CMEs/Flares, Jets), Particle acceleration, Coronal waves/oscillation, Quasiperiodic pulsations (QPPs) in solar flares

    Analysis/interpretation of multiwavelength data from NASA's missions (SDO, STEREO, RHESSI, Hinode, IRIS, Parker Solar Probe etc.) and ground based telescopes (H-alpha and Radio observations)

    Publications

     

                                                                                                                                                                                            
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