Shifting from Ground to Space

My expertise is related to the solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, geospace magnetic storms, magnetospheric waves, Space Weather and Geomagnetism. My studies focus on the magnetic field of the Earth and the near-Earth electromagnetic environment. The phenomena related to the solar activity can have effects on our technological infrastructures, thus, they are of particular interest to me because they are related to the human well-being. I believe that one of the major challenges in space exploration today is the need to develop accurate and reliable operational forecasting schemes of Space Weather phenomena and their effects, as they have become of increasing importance for humans.

As a postgraduate student in UK (Edinburgh) and Greece (Athens) I was focused on using ground-based magnetic field instruments for studying the Earth’s electrical conductivity structure. However, the measured fields were the Earth’s response to the magnetospheric and ionospheric currents, i.e. to the variations of the near-Earth electromagnetic environment. So, when I moved to Germany to work as a post-doc using satellite data for the same scope, I have shifted to the research of the magnetosphere. It was a major challenge for me to shift my research focus from the use of the ground to the satellite data, in order to continue pursuing research abroad after the completion of my PhD studies and my military service in my home country.

My future research plans are related to the exciting research opportunities that the new ESA’s mission Swarm brings to the study of the near-Earth electromagnetic environment. Swarm is the first multi-satellite mission with both electric and magnetic field instruments to conduct the best ever survey of Earth’s magnetic field. It was launched on 22 November 2013 and consists of 3 identical satellites flying between 450 and 550 km of altitude. I am a member of the validation team and the quality working group of the Swarm mission. My main task is to validate the quality of the products related to the measurements of the mission. Cluster, another particularly successful ESA mission, has been devoted to the study of the Earth’s magnetosphere since more than 10 years ago. More recently, Van Allen Probes was launched by NASA to study the Earth’s radiation belts, which play an important role in Space Weather – related phenomena.

My Institute, the National Observatory of Athens, is quite competitive in research activities related to the Earth Observation (with a focus on natural hazards), Space Physics, Astronomy (having one of the largest optical telescopes in Europe) and Astrophysics. Most of these activities are funded either by the European Commission or the European Space Agency (ESA) and only a small part of them is funded by national funds.

Do What you Like Most

I believe that nowadays it is quite hard for young talented scientists to develop a successful career given the financial crisis. Especially, if they live in countries that are seriously affected from austerity measures, they are usually forced to look for a job in science abroad. My advice to your scientists would then be that they should keep very persistent and patient and be 100% sure that what they do is actually what they like most.

One thing to also keep in mind is that you would most probably need to sacrifice a part of your personal life if you want to achieve a successful career in science. As far as I am concerned, my hobbies are related to the games that my children like to play and when I have free time, mainly during the weekends, I try to spend as much time as I can with my family.

Eleni Chatzichristou

MAARBLE Outreach Team