Biography

Richard Horne is Principal Investigator of the Sun Earth Connections programme at the British Antarctic Survey.  He has a Doctorate in Space Plasma Physics, is an Honary Professor at the University of Sheffield and holds an individual merit promotion (IMP3) at the BAS. He currently leads a scientific team to study how solar variability affects the Earth’s atmosphere and climate; via energetic charged particles from the Van Allen radiation belts; changes in atmospheric circulation; and changes in the geoelectric field.

Richard has a special interest in wave-particle interactions and wave propagation.  One of his key contributions is to show that electron acceleration by very low frequency waves is a major new process for forming the Earth's Van Allen radiation belts.  This theory is being applied to other planets in the solar system through collaborations.  He has also worked on wave heating of space plasmas and wave propagation at the Earth and Jupiter. 

Richard has also worked on hazard risk to satellites for four leading London Insurance companies and, as part of a team led by Alcatel Space (Paris), conducted a feasibility study on Space Weather for the European Space Agency.

Richard has published more than 98 research papers in peer reviewed Journals, and more than 30 other publications including research contracts.  He has numerous international collaborations.  He is former International Chair for Commission H of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) and former Vice President of the Royal Astronomical Society.  He is a Co-Investigator on the ESA Cluster satellites and the NASA Radiation Belt Storm Probe mission to be launched in 2012.  He also serves on committees for the Science and Technology Facilities Council which oversee the CLUSTER, Cassini, and Venus Express satellite missions.