Hong Zhao

Hong Zhao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at Auburn University. His research focuses on energetic particle dynamics and wave-particle interactions in Earth’s magnetosphere, with a particular emphasis on radiation belt electrons and ring current dynamics. He has contributed to instrumentation development for CubeSat platforms, including the HERT telescope, and has been involved in mission design for space-based measurements.

Education:

• Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder (2015)
• B.S., Space Physics, Peking University (2011)

Research interests include analysis of Van Allen Probes, MMS, and CubeSat data; energy- and pitch angle-dependent dynamics of radiation belt electrons; and effects of solar wind and geomagnetic conditions on particle dynamics. Key projects involve modeling equatorial pitch angle distributions and simulating deep penetration of energetic particles into low L regions.

Selected awards include the Fred L. Scarf Award (2017) and Vela Fellowship (2014). His work has advanced understanding of ULF wave-driven flux oscillations and the role of plasmaspheric hiss in shaping radiation belt spectra. Ongoing efforts focus on neural network-based models for radiation belt electron flux predictions and validation of electric field models using Van Allen Probes data.