ISSI-BJ Discipline Scientists
In the first half of 2021, five new prominent researchers were appointed Discipline Scientists at ISSI-BJ. Coming from different research fields—solar physics, earth sciences, planetary science, astrophysics—to bring a significant contribution to ISSI-BJ and its activities, Prof. JIANG Jie, Prof. SHI Jiancheng, Prof. Takehiko Satoh, Prof. Ekkehard Kührt, and Prof. Maurizio Falanga will support the institute and the advancement of space science studies thanks to their extensive experience, outstanding skills, and international reputation. In particular, they will share the following responsibilities:
1. Enhancement of scientific quality and quantity of the incoming research proposals by active solicitation and promotion, with emphasis on regional cooperation
2. Hosting of meeting and events
3. Participation in project initiation and organizational management
4. Strategic planning
JIANG Jie (Beihang University, China)
March 2021-present
JIANG Jie is a professor and Ph.D. advisor at Beihang University, Beijing, China. In 2007, she received her Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the National Astronomic Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her research focuses on the physical forecast and generation mechanism of the solar magnetic cycle, its long-term changes and effects on the heliospheric magnetic field, as well as stellar magnetic activities. She is currently a co-leader of a pillar of the SCOSTEP/PRESTO program and co-chair of the Solar Orbiter working group on Solar Dynamo and Cycle.
SHI Jiancheng (NSSC, CAS, China)
March 2021-present
Jiancheng Shi (Fellow, IEEE) received the B.S in Hydrological Geology and Geological Engineering from the University of Lanzhou, China, in 1982, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Geography from the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), CA, USA, in 1987 and 1991, respectively. He subsequently joined the Institute for Computational Earth System Sciences, UCSB, as a Research Professor. He has worked as a PI for more than ten research projects for NASA, five projects for ESA, and four projects for JAXA. In 2010, he became the Director and a Senior Research Scientist at the State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, sponsored by the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China. He is currently the PI of the Water Cycle Observation Mission (WCOM). He has authored or coauthored more than 200 articles in journals and conferences. His current research interests include microwave remote sensing of water cycle-related components and data assimilation. Dr. Shi is a fellow of the Electromagnetics Academy and the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).
SATOH Takehiko (JAXA, Japan)
March 2021-present
Takehiko Satoh is a professor at the Department of Solar System Sciences, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). After receiving his PhD from the Science University of Tokyo in 1992, he started his study of Jupiter's infrared auroras, magnetospheric, and atmospheric activities. His research interests also cover Mars and Venus and their atmospheres, in particular. Since 2001, he is involved in the Japan’s Venus orbiter mission, Akatsuki. He is the PI of the IR2 near-infrared camera and, since 2016, the mission's Project Scientist. He is also a senior member of the Council of Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS), currently filling the role of Assistant Secretary General.
FALANGA Maurizio (ISSI, Switzerland)
March 2021-present
Dr. Maurizio Falanga received his degree in Theoretical Physics and Astronomy at the University of Basel, Switzerland. Afterward, he obtained his Ph.D. degree in Astrophysics from the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. After his Ph.D., he held various Post-doc positions, e.g., CEA-Saclay, Service d’Astrophysique (High Energy Division), Paris. His research interest is mostly focused on accretion and emission in neutron stars, white dwarfs, and black holes. He is also involved in the Einstein Probe mission led by CAS. Since 2009, he is the Science Program Manager at the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern, Switzerland, and starting from August 2021, he is a Director at ISSI in Bern and a Professor at the University of Bern.
KUEHRT Ekkehard (DLR Institute of Optical Sensor Systems, Germany)
April 2021-present
Dr. Ekkehard Kührt obtained his Ph.D. degree in Physics at the Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany. He held postdoc positions at the East-German Institute of Cosmic Research, at the Max-Planck Institute of Aeronomy in Lindau, and the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. From 1997 to 2020 he was the Head of the Asteroids & Comets Department at the Institute of Planetary Research of German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Berlin. Today he is engaged at the DLR Institute of Optical Sensor Systems and as a Senior Researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). His main research topics are planetary physics, formation and evolution of solar systems, asteroids and comets, infrared radiometry, and environmental applications of space missions. Dr. Kührt has been involved in numerous space projects as the Russian Phobos and VEGA missions, the ESA missions Rosetta, BepiColombo, Comet Interceptor and HERA, the NASA Deep Impact mission, the JAXA Hayabusa-2, and MMX missions. As DLR project leader “Rosetta Instruments” he was responsible for all scientific contributions of DLR to this ESA cornerstone mission. As first or co-author, Dr. Kührt has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers in journals to planetary sciences. He was honored with the “Humboldt-Award” of Humboldt-University, the “Research Award for young scientists” of Leopoldina-Academy, the “Innovation Award” and the “Otto-Lilienthal-Award” of DLR with a research stay at ISSI Bern, the “Space Technology–Hall of Fame Award” of US Space Foundation and the “Award for Public Engagement with Planetary Science" of Europlanet. In 2019 he was a successful applicant for PIFI (President's International Fellowship Initiative) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
