Sergio Vidal-Luengo, PhD
Dr. Sergio Vidal-Luengo graduated from the University of Michigan, USA. During his PhD, he studied the effects of the solar wind on Earth's magnetic field using a constellation of satellites known as the Heliophysics System Observatory and ground-based stations to measure magnetic field variations. The goal of his doctoral thesis was to calculate the particle density profile of Earth's magnetosphere using a technique called magnetoseismology. Currently, Dr. Sergio Vidal-Luengo works at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder, USA. Here, Dr. Vidal-Luengo leads a NASA-funded project titled "Interplanetary Disturbances Obliquity Effects in the Generation of db/dt Events," focusing on identifying key characteristics of traveling disturbances in the solar wind that influence the generation of rapid magnetic field variations on Earth associated with geomagnetically induced currents (GICs). Additionally, Dr. Vidal-Luengo studies the dynamics of the Van Allen radiation belts using instrumentation onboard the International Space Station, as well as the generation of ion-acoustic waves observed by the Parker Solar Probe during its close encounters with the Sun. These studies are conducted through advanced analysis of satellite data and ground-based magnetometer stations, including the development of neural networks for detecting events of interest. In addition to scientific development, Dr. Vidal-Luengo enjoys sports and flying single-engine airplanes.
Education
- PhD, University of Michigan 2021, Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences
- MSc, University of Michigan, 2018, Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
- BSc, Universidad de Concepción, 2013, Geophysics Degree and License
