Manuel Grande

Manuel Grande is a Professor in Physics at Aberystwyth University's Department of Physics. He holds roles as Director for Partnerships, Head of Solar Systems Physics, and Visiting Research Professor at the Open University's Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute. His career includes leadership in ESA/NASA committees, serving as European Geophysical Union President for Planetary Science, and coordinating Europlanet initiatives. He has led major projects like BepiColombo and GAUSS, focusing on planetary exploration, radiation monitoring, and instrument development.

• Education: B.Sc. Physics (Warwick, 1977), M.Sc. Experimental Space Physics (Leicester, 1978), Ph.D. (Cosmic Ray Detection, Bristol, 1983).
• Career: Research roles at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), including leadership in astrophysics and plasma diagnostics divisions.
• Research Interests: Planetary environments, space plasma physics, solar system exploration, and mission instrumentation.

Key contributions include advancing Mercury mission science through BepiColombo's instruments (e.g., BERM), leading foresight exercises for planetary exploration (Horizon 2061), and studying solar energetic particles and radiation effects. He has published over 180 articles and supervised 11 students.

Scientific Awards: Individual Merit CCLRC Fellow (Band2), Honorary Professor at Warwick University.

Grants/Projects: Principal Investigator for STFC-funded missions like BepiColombo SIXS and PEP Particle Environment Package for JUICE. Active in shaping international space policy and collaboration frameworks.

Labs/Teams: Leads Solar Systems Physics research at Aberystwyth, collaborates with global institutions on space weather and planetary science initiatives.