Richard Horne

Richard Horne is a Distinguished Research Scientist at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield. He holds the highest Individual Merit Promotion (Band 1) across UKRI and serves on the BAS Executive Team since 2014. His career spans over four decades, beginning as a Higher Scientific Officer at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (1981–1984) before joining BAS in 1984. He earned his PhD in space plasma physics from the University of Sussex (1982) and a Doctor of Science from the University of Cambridge (2020).

His research focuses on wave-particle interactions in Earth’s magnetosphere, relativistic electron dynamics in Van Allen radiation belts, and space weather hazard mitigation. Key achievements include developing the HOTRAY wave propagation model and contributing to international projects like SPACECAST and CLUSTER. His work has advanced forecasting systems for satellite radiation exposure and European space weather capabilities.

Horne has published over 230 papers with an h-index of 70. Notable awards include the Royal Astronomical Society Gold Medal (2022), Fellowship of the Royal Society (2021), and the International Kristian Birkeland Medal (2020). His research bridges theoretical plasma physics with applied space weather science, addressing global technological risks from space environments.

Contributions to planetary science include studies of Jupiter and Saturn’s radiation belts, demonstrating universal plasma physics principles. He collaborates internationally, leading initiatives to improve space weather risk assessments and satellite resilience against geomagnetic storms.