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Dr Colin Forsyth
Senior Research Fellow
Dept of Space & Climate Physics
Faculty of Maths & Physical Sciences
- Joined UCL
- 6th Oct 2008
Research summary
My primary research focus is on geomagnetic substorms - large-scale disruptions of the Earth's magnetosphere that convert the equivalent energy of 100 nuclear power stations from the solar wind into the Earth's near-space environment and into the upper regions of the atmosphere. Substorms are a key component of space weather and can result in significant disruption to technology on the ground and in space.
Substorms have been studied for over 50 years, but whilst we have built up our understanding of the magnetospheric system, there are still major outstanding questions: when, where and why do substorms occur; how do they disrupt the magnetosphere and what is their impact? I have developed new methods for identifying substorms that, through statistical analysis of tens of years of spacecraft and ground-based observations, will enable me to tackle these questions.
My wider research interests include the dynamics of the radiation belts, understanding the processes that accelerate particles above the aurora, large and small-scale dynamic processes in magnetotails, and the measurement and impact of field-aligned currents in couple magnetosphere-ionosphere systems.
Teaching summary
Lecture on the Space Science and Engineering MSc course run by MSSL.
Education
- University of Leicester
- Doctorate, Doctor of Philosophy | 2009
- University of Leicester
- Other higher degree, Master of Physics | 2005
Biography
I am a NERC Independent Research Fellow at the UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory (Dept. Space and Climate Physics) studying the occurrence, causes and impact of geomagnetic substorms.
I undertook my undergraduate and post-graduate studies at the University of Leicester between 2001 and 2008. In particular, I studied for my PhD in the Radio and Space Plasma Physics Group between 2005 and 2008.