IRIS Team
Jane Burward-Hoy
Staff Scientist - janebh@lanl.gov
Research interests: Designing, calibrating, and delivering space-flight instrumentation for energetic particle measurements at LEO, MEO, and GEO based on our group's heritage and expertise dating back to the early 1960's and the Vela Hotel program; Monte Carlo simulation methods using GEANT4 and/or MCNPX; Post-processing, data analysis code development in a C++/ROOT framework.
Ron Harper
Staff Scientist - rharper@lanl.gov
Research interests: Plasma mass spectrometer and neutral atom imager calibrations, interactions of energetic particles and photons with matter, specifically, energy deposition mechanisms in silicon detectors, and also energy loss, scattering, and secondary electron production in ultrathin carbon foils and upon various surfaces, with applications to space instrument testing.
Andrew Hoover
Staff Scientist - ahoover@lanl.gov
Research interests: Cryogenic microcalorimeter detectors for high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy. Monte Carlo simulation for radiation detectors. Gamma-ray imaging. Multi-channel detector systems. Development and characterization of radiation detector systems.
Brian Larsen
Staff Scientist since 2010 - balarsen@lanl.gov
Research interests: Space plasma and energetic particle instruments and what those measurements can then tell us about interactions within Earth's radiation belts. Experience on LEO, GTO, and lunar orbits across a variety of spacecraft sizes from Cubesats and small satellites to large satellites. Data analysis and data processing software especially in Python (spacepy).
Elizabeth MacDonald
IRIS Team Leader & Staff Scientist since 2007 - macdonald@lanl.gov
Research interests: Plasma mass spectrometry and instrument technology development, wave-particle interactions and the effect of plasma on radiation belt dynamics, mapping and coupling between the ionosphere and the inner magnetosphere, the impact of heavy ions on geomagnetic storm processes, and space weather.
Richard Schirato
Staff Scientist - schirato@lanl.gov
Research interests:
Ruth Skoug
Staff Scientist - rskoug@lanl.gov
Research interests: Plasma mass spectrometer and neutral atom imaging instrumentation for the solar wind and magnetosphere; Solar wind science, including suprathermal electrons, CMEs, and CIRs; Plasma influence on radiation belt and ring current dynamics
John Steinberg
Staff Scientist - jsteinberg@lanl.gov
Research interests: Space plasma instrumentation for the magnetosphere and the solar wind. Evolution of solar wind stream interaction regions and coronal mass ejections. Small-scale solar wind fluctuations and filamentary boundaries. Understanding how solar wind variability impacts the magnetosphere.
Laura Stonehill
Staff Scientist - lauracs@lanl.gov
Research interests: Radiation detection; designing, building, and testing radiation detection systems; neutron and gamma-ray detection; hand-held radiation detectors; space instrumentation; scintillators; He-3 proportional counters; data analysis; simulation and modeling.
Russ Terry
Staff Scientist - rterry@lanl.gov
Research interests:
IRIS Team Postdoctoral Researchers
Brent S. Budden
Postdoctoral Research Associate - bbudden@lanl.gov
Research interests: Radiation Detector Development, X-ray / Gamma-ray Imaging Modalities, Image Reconstruction / Data Deconvolution.
Raluca Ilie
Postdoctoral Research Associate - rilie@lanl.gov
Research interests: My primary research interest is to gain better understanding of the controlling mechanisms for the solar wind-magnetospheric interactions, storm time inner magnetosphere (ring current, plasma sheet) dynamics and morphology and the physics of geomagnetic storms.
IRIS Team Students
Scott G. Carlsten
Student, Lab Assistant - scarlsten@lanl.gov
Research interests: Scintillators
Former members
Jon Cook
former post-doc now in ISR-2, jcook@lanl.gov
Dong Won Lee
former post-doc
Kevin Henderson
former post-doc now in MST-7, kch@lanl.gov
Katy Goodrich
former post-bac now in CU Dept. of Astrophysical and Planetary Science, katherine.goodrich@colorado.edu
Quinn Looker
former post-bac now in UC Berkeley Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, qlooker@lbl.gov
Lauren Blum
former post-bac now in CU Dept. of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, lauren.blum@colorado.edu
ISR-1 group in 2010