Professor Michael Kosch
ProfessorResearch Interests
Background
I am an experimental space scientist with a background in electronic engineering. I was born and raised in South Africa and have subsequently worked in many countries and continents, including Antarctica, Australia, Germany, Japan, Norway, South Africa, USA and the UK.
Research
My primary research activity is in the high-altitude (above 80 km altitude) polar atmosphere and near-Earth space environment, mainly using high-power radar as well as bespoke night-vision optical systems. I study the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling (e.g. Joule heating, current flows and neutral winds), unusual auroral phenomena (e.g. super-fast auroral waves, black aurora), mesospheric dusty plasma (e.g. polar mesospheric radar echoes), atmospheric contraction (e.g. climate change), and space weather effects (e.g. ozone destruction). In addition, I use the upper-atmosphere as a free laboratory to perform active experiments to study fundamental wave-particle interactions and resonances in space and dusty plasmas using high power radiowave facilities located in Alaska, Norway and Russia. This includes experiments which artificially generate auroras.
For images and video clips of some of my work, please visit www.mikekosch.com.
Career details
- Chief Scientist (SANSA, Cape Town, South Africa), 2014-2019
- Visiting Professor (NIPR, Tokyo, Japan) 2014
- Associate Dean Research (FST, Lancaster) 2011-13
- Visiting Professor (STELab, Nagoya, Japan) 2010
- Distinguished Fellow (LaTrobe, Australia) 2009
- Professor (Physics, Lancaster) 2008
- Reader (DCS, Lancaster) 2006
- Research Fellow (Boston, USA) 2004/5 & 2006
- Senior Lecturer (DCS, Lancaster) 2003
- Lecturer (DCS, Lancaster) 2001
- Scientist, Max-Planck Institute (Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany) 1991-2000
- PhD Space Physics (Durban, South Africa) 1991
- Antarctic Expedition (SANAE, South Africa) 1984-86 & 1988/89
- BSc Electronic Engineering (Durban, South Africa) 1984
Administration
Space Research and Applications manager at the South African National Space Agency.
Teaching
Currently none.
Impact
I co-direct EnviroVision Systems (www.evsolutions.biz), a company that specialises in protecting commercial forests, urban interface and environment with automatic camera systems. EVS is a fast growing SME with over 300 installations worldwide and 120 employees.
Personal
I like to travel and do unusual activities. For images and video clips of some of my activities, please visit www.mikekosch.com.
PhD Supervision Interests
Most projects give opportunities for students to visit the polar Arctic for experimental field work, usually the EISCAT radar facility (www.eiscat.se) in Norway. Opportunities may also exist to visit other facilities as well as the South African National Space Agency near Cape Town (where I am the chief scientist).Fundamental wave-plasma interactions (artificial auroras)Long-term climate change (atmospheric density trend)Auroral physics (e.g. black auroras)Meso-scale dynamics (auroras and thermospheric winds)Mesospheric physics (dusty plasmas, ozone destruction, sprites)Ionospheric composition Radiation belt remediation (VLF cyclotron resonance)
EISCAT_3D: Fine-scale structuring, scintillastion, and electrodynamics (FINESSE)
11/04/2022 → 10/04/2026
Research
High-latitude thermospheric neutral density changes
31/03/2014 → 30/03/2017
Research
Quantitative study of dusty plasma in the polar mesosphere
01/04/2012 → 30/04/2015
Research
Electron neutral collisions induced by artificially produced VLFwaves
01/09/2011 → 28/02/2014
Research
The energy spectrum of accelerated electrons from wave plasma interactions in the ionosphere
01/10/2009 → 31/07/2012
Research
Artificial auroras: The energy spectrum of accelerated electrons from wave particle interactions
01/08/2009 → 31/07/2012
Research
Fundamental Wave-Plasma Processes
01/04/2008 → 31/07/2010
Research
Solar System Energy Flows and Fundamental Plasma Processes rolling grant
01/04/2005 → 31/03/2008
Other
Multi-Station Multi-Wavelength Auroral Imaging
01/06/2002 → 31/05/2004
Other
NERC (External organisation)
Membership of committee
- Space and Planetary Physics