Gary Zank, Ph.D.

Aerojet-Rocketdyne Chair in Space Science University of Alabama Board of Trustees Trustee Professor Director,
Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, CSPAR Distinguished Professor and Chair,
Department, Space Science

Contact

320 Sparkman Drive
Cramer Research Hall
Room 2002
Huntsville, AL 35899
Campus Map

256.961.7401
gary.zank@uah.edu

Biography

Dr. Gary Zank received his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Natal in South Africa in 1987. Gary is an Eminent Scholar and Distinguished Professor, Director of Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR), and Chair of the Department of Space Science (SPA) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Gary has been recognized in his field through the receipt of numerous honors and awards throughout his career. In 2017, he was named the University of Alabama Board of Trustees Trustee Professor, the first and only University of Alabama System faculty member to achieve this position. In part, this was in recognition of Dr Zank being elected in 2016 as a Member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the only person in AL to be a member of this august body.

Dr. Gary Zank received the NASA Silver Achievement Medal, in recognition of the Parker Solar Probe team in November of 2019. He was recognized internationally in 2015 with the AOGS Axford Medal, the highest honor given by the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS). Other awards include his being a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2017, he was also elected an AOGS Honorary Member and was chosen by the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) to be the 2017 Johannes Geiss Fellow. One of his publications has been recognized as one of the twelve "classic papers" ever published in the Journal of Plasma Physics. Gary is dedicated to his research, which is clearly represented in his achievements over the years and categorizes him as a cutting-edge leader in the world of space physics.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

  • Ph.D., Applied Mathematics, University of Natal, South Africa, 1987
  • BSc. Honors, Applied Mathematics, University of Natal, South Africa, 1983
  • BSc., Applied Mathematics, Mathematics, and Physics, University of Natal, South Africa, 1982

Honors & Awards

  • Commencement Speaker, University of Alabama in Huntsville Fall 2019 Commencement, Von Braun Center, December 16, 2019
  • NASA Silver Achievement Medal, In recognition of the Parker Solar Probe team, November 2019.
  • Distinguished Scientist Fellow, Chinese Academy of Science President's International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) 2019, October 2019.
  • Distinguished Speaker, NSF Distinguished Lecture Series in Mathematical and Physical Sciences, September, 2019, Washington, DC
  • Director's Colloquium, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, January 2019.
  • 2018 AAS Neil Armstrong Space Flight Achievement Award - Awarded to the Parker Solar Probe team, of which GPZ is a co-Investigator on the SWEAP instrument, March 2019.
  • Johannes Geiss Fellowship - 2017 recipient of the International Space Science Institute's Johannes Geiss Fellowship. The fellowship is awarded annually and provides one international scientist of stature with funding for a limited-duration visit to the Institute, which is located in Bern, Switzerland.
  • Asia, Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS)Honorary Member - elected 2017
  • Aerojet/Rocketdyne Chair in Space Science, University of Alabama in Huntsville [2017]
  • University of Alabama Board of Trustees Trustee Professor, the first and only University of Alabama System faculty member on whom this position conferred [2017]

Research Funding

  • Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) Investigation for Solar Probe Plus (735274) Role: PI Source: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory SV4-84017 (Johns Hopkins #975569) Period: 3/15/2014 - 9/30/2025 Amount: $574,781
  • Supporting Science for the Interstellar Boundary (IBEX) (735350) Role: PI Program: Princeton University SUB0000167 (NASA - 80NSSC18K0237 Period: 10/1/2016 - 11/30/2020 Amount: $157,000
  • RII-Track-1: CPU2AL: Connecting the Plasma Universe Technology in AL (735354) Role: PI Program: NSF EPSCoR OIA - 1655280 Period: 09/01/2017 - 08/31/2022 Amount: $20,000,000
  • Collaborative Research: Turbulence, Structures, and Diffusive Shock Acceleration (735355) Role: PI Program: NSF DOE PHY - 1707247 Period: 08/01/2017 - 07/31/2021 Amount: $300,000

Expertise

  • Interplanetary space physics
  • Physics of the solar corona
  • Physics of the local interstellar medium
  • Interaction of non magnetized bodies with the solar wind

Recent Publications