Curriculum Vitae
Robert C. Allen, Ph.D.
Lead Scientist, Southwest Research Institute​
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Born & raised in Austin, TX, USA
Lives & works in San Antonio, TX, USA
Education
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2014 - 2017 Ph.D. Physics
University of Texas, San Antonio
2008 - 2011 B.S. Physics
University of Texas, Arlington
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2012 CISM Summer School
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Experience
2024 - Present Lead Scientist
Southwest Research Institute
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2019 - 2024 Senior Professional Staff
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
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2017 - 2019 Post-doctoral Fellow
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
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2017 General Associate
NASA Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute - UMB
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2014 - 2017 Graduate Research Assistant
Southwest Research Institute - UTSA
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2011 - 2013 Research Assistant
University of New Hampshire
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2008 - 2011 Undergraduate Research Assistant
University of Texas, Arlington
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Awards & Distinctions
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2019 NASA Silver Achievement Medal:
Parker Solar Probe Team
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2018 NASA Group Achievement Award:
Cassini Magnetosphere Imaging Instrument Team
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2023 JRG Top 10% Downloaded Papers
(Co-author)
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2021 JRG Top 10% Downloaded Papers
(Co-author)
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2020 JRG Top 10% Downloaded Papers
(First author, Co-author, Co-author, & Co-author)
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Professional Service
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2022 - Present Committee Member
(Co-chair 2024;Chair 2025)
AGU Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA) Early Career Leadership Advisory Committee
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2019 - Present Team Member
COSPAR ISWAT team on Understanding the Suprathermal Seed Population
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2020 - 2024 Colloquia Organizer and Host
Whole Heliospheric & Planetary Interactions (WHPI) Colloquia Series
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2019 - 2024 Coordinator for Project Science Team
Parker Solar Probe Encounter Footpoint Predictions​
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2022 Convener
Coordinated Multi-spacecraft Observations in the Inner Heliosphere Session
AGU Fall Meeting
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2022 Chair
Parker Two Science Organizing Committee
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2022 Convener
Connecting the Sun and Heliosphere through interdisciplinary coordinate observing campaigns and modeling,
SHINE Workshop
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2022 Chair
In-Situ: Particle Detectors session of the Heliophysics 2050 Measurements and Technologies Pre-Decadal Workshop
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2020 - 2022 Organizing Committee Member
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2021 Science Organizing Committee Member
Whole Heliospheric & Planetary Interaction (WHPI) Workshop
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2021 Convener
Addressing the Mysteries of Inner Heliospheric Dynamics from a Multi-Spacecraft Vantage Point Session
AGU Fall Meeting
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2018 - 2019 Junior Scientist
ISSI Team on Soft Protons in the Magnetosphere Focused by X-ray Telescopes
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2018 Convener
Comparative Plasma Environments Panel Series
Triennial Earth-Sun Summit, AGU-AAS
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2017 Participant (MD/DC/NJ region)
AGU Congressional Visit Day
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2016 - 2017 Member
Anti-Harassment Policy Subcommittee
Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) Workshop, NSF
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2015 - 2017 Graduate Program Recruitment Student Representative
SwRI/UTSA Joint Space Physics Program
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2015-2017 Graduate Program Website Admin
SwRI/UTSA Joint Space Physics Program
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2015 - 2017 Writing Club Officer
SwRI/UTSA Joint Space Physics Program
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2014 - 2016 Student Representative
Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) Workshop, NSF
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2015 - 2016 Local Organizing Committee Member
Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics
Hosted by UTSA and SwRI, AIP
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2015 - 2016 Outreach Officer
Graduate Society of Physics Students, UTSA
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2014 - 2015 Society of Physics Students Liaison (Founding Officer)
Graduate Society of Physics Students, UTSA
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2010 - 2011 Vice-President
Society of Physics Students
University of Texas, Arlington
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2009 - 2010 President
Society of Physics Students
University of Texas, Arlington
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2008 - 2009 Secretary
Society of Physics Students
University of Texas, Arlington
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Publications
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Oral Presentations
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Poster Presentations
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Mission/Instrument Roles
Includes Previous and Current Roles
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Instrument Scientist:
- Suprathermal Ion Spectrograph (SIS) sensor on Solar Orbiter, & Co-I on the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) suite
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Member:
- 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
- Cassini Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) team
- ACE Ultra Low Energy Isotope Spectrometer (ULEIS) team
- New Horizons Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) team
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Reviewer/Editor
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Editoral Positions:
2021 - Present:
Associate Editor of Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences - Planetary Science​
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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
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Review Panels:
- NASA LWS Review Panel
- NASA LWSTM Review Panel
- NASA DDAP Review Panel
- NASA CDAP Review Panel​
- NASA ECIP Review Panel​
- NASA HSR Review Panel​
- NASA Mission-GI Review Panel​
- PDS Data Reviewer Panel
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Advisor
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Graduate Students:
- Malik Walker (Johns Hopkins University,
Department of Physics and Astronomy)
- Years: 2022 - Present
- Topic: Ion Acceleration at CMEs
- Degree Pursuing: PhD Physics
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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
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Teaching Experience
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Lab Instructor at University of New Hampshire
- Spring 2012, 1 Section, Intro to Modern Astronomy
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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
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Societies and Memberships
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European Geosciences Union, joined 2020
American Geophysical Union, joined 2012
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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
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Missions and Datasets Used
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- 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