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, 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) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. He also serves as the director of the Annual International Astrophysics Conference (AIAC). 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. 

Most recently, Zank was selected by the American Geophysical Union to receive the 2025 John Adam Fleming Medal, considered the top honor for space physics and related disciplines, awarded annually to a senior scientist who is an established leader in their field. In 2026, he received the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Space Science Award, presented during the 46th COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Florence, Italy, one of the highest honors in international space science. In recognition of his career contributions, Minor Planet 21039, a 2.4-kilometer-wide stony asteroid located in the inner region of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, has been officially designated 21039 Zank in his honor.

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

  • Space Science Award, Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), 2026
  • John Adam Fleming Medal, American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2025
  • Transactions on Plasma Science Best Paper Award, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2025
  • Distinguished Science Award, National Space Club of Huntsville, 2024
  • The Adriaan van Ballegooijen Annual Lecture, Harvard- Smithsonian Center of Astrophysics, 2024
  • Program of the Year - FTPP, 256Today Innovator Awards, 2024
  • Group Achievement Award, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 2023
  • University Distinguished Research Award, University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), 2021
  • Commencement Speaker, University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), Fall 2019
  • Silver Achievement Medal, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 2019

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