Robert Wicks

Robert Wicks is a Professor at Northumbria University's Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering. He specializes in plasma physics with a focus on the solar corona, solar wind, and near-Earth space environments. He contributes to the ESA Solar Orbiter mission as a co-investigator of the Solar Wind Analyser EAS instrument. His research emphasizes turbulence and wave dynamics in space plasmas, space weather risk mitigation, and space technology development, including CubeSat-based laser communication systems. He holds a PhD in Physics (2008) and an MSci from Imperial College London (2005).

Education:

• PhD in Physics, 2008
• MSci Physics, Imperial College London, 2005

Research Interests:

• Acceleration and heating of solar corona/solar wind via turbulence
• Space plasma instrumentation design
• Laser communication systems for CubeSats
• ESA mission proposals (e.g., Debye, STELLA)
• Space weather impacts and mitigation strategies

Recent Articles Trends: Focus on solar wind turbulence mechanisms, ion cyclotron waves, interstellar probe missions, and CubeSat technology advancements. Collaborations involve multi-spacecraft data analysis (e.g., Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter) and laser communication payload design.

Grants & Projects:

• ROARS CubeSat mission (European Space Agency, 2023–2024)
• Laser Communication CubeSat projects (UK Space Agency, 2021–2025)
• Debye mission proposal (ESA F-Class, 2018–2019)

Labs & Teams: Leads space instrumentation development teams and collaborates internationally on solar wind missions. Active in CubeSat engineering groups and space weather risk mitigation initiatives.