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
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
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3/2014
Postdoctoral Fellow
Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI),
Daejeon, South Korea
6/2006
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12/2010
Research Fellow
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences,
Nainital, India
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
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)
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
