Curriculum Vitae
Robert C. Allen, Ph.D.
Lead Scientist, Southwest Research Institute
Born & raised in Austin, TX, USA
Lives & works in San Antonio, TX, USA
Education
2014 - 2017 Ph.D. Physics
University of Texas, San Antonio
2008 - 2011 B.S. Physics
University of Texas, Arlington
2012 CISM Summer School
Experience
2024 - Present Lead Scientist
Southwest Research Institute
2019 - 2024 Senior Professional Staff
2017 - 2019 Post-doctoral Fellow
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
2017 General Associate
NASA Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute - UMB
2014 - 2017 Graduate Research Assistant
Southwest Research Institute - UTSA
2011 - 2013 Research Assistant
University of New Hampshire
2008 - 2011 Undergraduate Research Assistant
University of Texas, Arlington
2008 - 2009 Planetarium Educator
University of Texas, Arlington
Awards & Distinctions
2019 NASA Silver Achievement Medal:
Parker Solar Probe Team
2018 NASA Group Achievement Award:
Cassini Magnetosphere Imaging Instrument Team
2025 Space Weather A Top Viewed Article
(Co-author)
2023 JRG Top 10% Downloaded Papers
(First author, Co-author)
2021 JRG Top 10% Downloaded Papers
(Co-author)
2020 JRG Top 10% Downloaded Papers
(First author, Co-author, Co-author, & Co-author)
Professional Service
2022 - Present Committee Member
(Co-chair 2024; Chair 2025)
AGU Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA) Early Career Leadership Advisory Committee
2024 - Present Committee Member
AGU Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA) Section Executive Committee
2019 - Present Team Member
COSPAR ISWAT team on Understanding the Suprathermal Seed Population
2025 Convener
New insights into particle access and transport in the inner heliosphere session
SHINE Workshop
2020 - 2024 Colloquia Organizer and Host
Whole Heliospheric & Planetary Interactions (WHPI) Colloquia Series
2019 - 2024 Coordinator for Project Science Team
Parker Solar Probe Encounter Footpoint Predictions
2022 Convener
Coordinated Multi-spacecraft Observations in the Inner Heliosphere Session
AGU Fall Meeting
2022 Chair
Parker Two Science Organizing Committee
2022 Convener
Connecting the Sun and Heliosphere through interdisciplinary coordinate observing campaigns and modeling session
SHINE Workshop
2022 Chair
In-Situ: Particle Detectors session of the Heliophysics 2050 Measurements and Technologies Pre-Decadal Workshop
2020 - 2022 Organizing Committee Member
2021 Science Organizing Committee Member
Whole Heliospheric & Planetary Interaction (WHPI) Workshop
2021 Convener
Addressing the Mysteries of Inner Heliospheric Dynamics from a Multi-Spacecraft Vantage Point Session
AGU Fall Meeting
2018 - 2019 Junior Scientist
ISSI Team on Soft Protons in the Magnetosphere Focused by X-ray Telescopes
2018 Convener
Comparative Plasma Environments Panel Series
Triennial Earth-Sun Summit, AGU-AAS
2017 Participant (MD/DC/NJ region)
AGU Congressional Visit Day
2016 - 2017 Member
Anti-Harassment Policy Subcommittee
Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) Workshop, NSF
2015 - 2017 Graduate Program Recruitment Student Representative
SwRI/UTSA Joint Space Physics Program
2015-2017 Graduate Program Website Admin
SwRI/UTSA Joint Space Physics Program
2015 - 2017 Writing Club Officer
SwRI/UTSA Joint Space Physics Program
2014 - 2016 Student Representative
Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) Workshop, NSF
2015 - 2016 Local Organizing Committee Member
Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics
Hosted by UTSA and SwRI, AIP
2015 - 2016 Outreach Officer
Graduate Society of Physics Students, UTSA
2014 - 2015 Society of Physics Students Liaison (Founding Officer)
Graduate Society of Physics Students, UTSA
2010 - 2011 Vice-President
Society of Physics Students
University of Texas, Arlington
2009 - 2010 President
Society of Physics Students
University of Texas, Arlington
2008 - 2009 Secretary
Society of Physics Students
University of Texas, Arlington
Publications
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Mission/Instrument Roles
Includes Previous and Current Roles
Principle Investigator:
- Interplanetary mesoscale observatory (InterMeso) mission concept study (report)
Instrument Scientist:
- Solar Orbiter Suprathermal Ion Spectrograph (SIS)
Co-Investigator:
- Solar Orbiter Energetic Particle Detector (EPD)
Member:
- ACE Ultra Low Energy Isotope Spectrometer (ULEIS) team
- Cassini Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) team
- New Horizons Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) team
- Parker Solar Probe (PSP) Project Science team
- PSP Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) investigation team
- PSP Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (ISOIS) instrument team
- Solar Orbiter Heavy Ion Sensor (HIS) instrument team
- Solar-Terrestrial Observer for Magnetospheric Dynamics (STORM) MIDEX Phase A Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) instrument team
Reviewer/Editor
Editoral Positions:
2021 - Present: Associate Editor
Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences - Planetary Science
2025 - Present: Frontiers Research Topic Editor
2022 - 2023: Frontiers Research Topic Editor
The Links Between Space Plasma Physics and Planetary Science
Peer-Reviewer for Journals:
- Geophysical Research Letters (GRL)
- Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR)
- Space Weather
- The Astrophysical Journal (ApJ)
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters (ApJ Letters)
- Astronomy and Astrophysics (A&A)
- Nature Communications
- Frontiers
- Solar Physics
Review Panels:
*including Chair position(s)
- NASA CDAP Review Panels
- NASA DDAP Review Panel
- NASA ECIP Review Panel
- NASA HGIO Review Panel
- NASA HSR Review Panel*
- NASA HUSPI Reviewer
- NASA LWS Review Panels*
- NASA LWSTM Review Panel
- NASA Mission-GI Review Panel
- PDS Dataset Review Panel
- UKRI STFC Reviewer
Advisor
Graduate Students:
- Sophia Davis (University of Texas, San Antonio,
Department of Physics and Astronomy)
- Years: 2025 - Present
- Topic: SEP Transport
- Degree Pursuing: PhD Physics
- Malik Walker (Johns Hopkins University,
Department of Physics and Astronomy)
- Years: 2022 - Present
- Topic: Ion Acceleration at CMEs
- Degree Pursuing: PhD Physics
Postdoctoral Researchers:
- Parisa Mostafavi (JHU Applied Physics Lab)
- Years: 2021 - 2022
- Topic: Solar Wind Alpha-Proton Differential Flow
- Current Position: Senior Professional Staff at APL
Teaching Experience
Guest Lecture at University of Texas San Antonio
- Fall 2024, Galactic and Anomalous Cosmic Rays lecture, PHYS 7703: Heliospheric Physics
Lab Instructor at University of New Hampshire
- Spring 2012, 1 Section, Intro to Modern Astronomy
Lab Instructor at University of Texas, Arlington
- Sprint 2011, 2 Sections, Astronomy I
- Spring 2011, 2 Sections, Astronomy II
- Fall 2010, 3 Sections, Astronomy II
- Spring 2010, 2 Sections, Astronomy I
- Spring 2010, 1 Section, Astronomy II
- Fall 2009, 1 Section, Astronomy I
- Fall 2009, 1 Section, Astronomy II
Societies and Memberships
European Geosciences Union, joined 2020
American Geophysical Union, joined 2012
Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, inducted 2015
Alpha Chi Honor Society, inducted 2015
Golden Key International Honours, inducted 2014
Sigma Pi Sigma, inducted 2010
Missions and Datasets Used
- Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence, &
Electrodynamics of Moon's Interaction with the
Sun (ARTEMIS)
- Active Magnetosphere and Planetary
Electrodynamics Response Experiment
(AMPERE)
- Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE)
- Cassini
- Cluster
- Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR)
- Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)
- Global scale Observations of Limb and Disk (GOLD)
- Magnetospheric Multi-scale (MMS)
- Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN)
- New Horizons
- Parker Solar Probe
- Polar
- Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)
- Solar Orbiter
- Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)
- Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN)
- SuperMAG
- Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions
During Substorms (THEMIS)
- Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics
& Dynamics (TIMED)
- Van Allen Probes (Radiation Belt Storm Probes)
- Voyager I & II
- Wind
- XMM-Newton