Roger Varney

Roger Varney’s research focuses on the physics of Earth’s ionosphere, coupling between the ionosphere and magnetosphere, and coupling between the ionosphere and neutral atmosphere. His interests include ion acceleration and ion outflow from the ionosphere into the magnetosphere, energetic electron transport in the ionosphere, multi-scale processes producing plasma structuring in the ionosphere, and impacts of ionospheric structure on radio propagation. His work utilizes a combination of numerical models and observational data. He leads the development of the Ionosphere/Polar Wind Model (IPWM), a numerical model of ion outflow, and he is a co-investigator in the Center for Geospace Storms NASA DRIVE Science Center. He has extensive experience with radar techniques for measuring the ionosphere. Prior to joining UCLA he was the principal investigator for the Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR) NSF program for 2016-2022, and he remains active in the scientific use of AMISR data. He also serves as an external science advisory committee member for the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT), he regularly teaches at the Incoherent Scatter Radar Summer School, and he is participating in community efforts to determine the next steps for scientific radar facilities in the US. He is a member of the American Geophysical Union, a former member of the Coupling Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) Science Steering Committee, and a former working group member for the Next Step Space Weather Benchmarks report for the Science and Technology Policy Institute.