Professional Experience
2022 to Present: Associate Research Professor, Department of Physics, College of Sciences and Mathematics, Auburn University
2004 to 2021: Astrophysicist, Laboratory for Geospace Physics, Heliophysics Science Division, NASA/GSFC
2002 to 2004: Research Scientist, The University of Alabama in Huntsville
2000 to 2002: Research Associate, National Research Council, NASA/MSFC
Innovation
Having previously served as a civil servant in National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. Adrian has broad, expansive experience in the development of independent research activities, student mentoring and training, as well as team–building, both from the perspective fostering scientific research and from the standpoint of scientific mission development and management. Dr. Adrian maintains a wide-expanse of research interests including: (i) geophysical, space-based, and planetary plasma systems; and (ii) the development of measurement/observation hardware and techniques required to study these diverse environments. Dr. Adrian’s research/development efforts include:
- Comprehensive study of the low-energy plasma environs of Earth’s coupled thermospheric-ionospheric-plasmasphere-magnetospheric (TIM) system.
- Study of the dynamics of Earth’s plasmasphere using remote, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) imaging of the charged helium ions (He+) content of the plasmasphere.
- Development of the Thermal Electron Capped Hemisphere Spectrometer (TECHS), and its corresponding ion version TICHS, a miniaturized charged-particle spectrometer ideal for use on CubeSats and other small, resource-limited spacecraft.
- Development of the Concentration vs. Height for an Orbiting Electromagnetic Sounder (ECHOES), a miniaturize CubeSat-compatible ionospheric sounder designed for three-dimensional observation of Earth’s ionosphere.
- Development of the CubeSat-compatible Compact Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (C-EUVI) for implementation on magnetospheric, planetary and solar imaging missions.
- Comprehensive study of the distribution of dust in the solar system.
- Develop comprehensive maps of the observed distribution 0.10-µm ≤ diameter ≤ 10.0-µm of dust at ~1AU using all available data from the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS), Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), and Wind missions.
- Develop a next generation, three-dimensional electromagnetic model of charged-dust grain orbital dynamics as a predictive tool to mitigate manned/unmanned mission risk.
- Comprehensive study of lightning-related phenomena.
- Comprehensive study of the charged-particle and fields environment above convective thunderstorms responsible for the generation of red sprites, blue jets, and terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs).
- Study of the propagation of lightning-generated whistler waves through the ionospheric waveguide and loss to the inner magnetosphere.
- Development of stratospheric balloon-based instrument to study the mid-altitude low-energy electron-ion plasma and electromagnetic field origins of red sprites.
