A Conversation with Dr. Roderick Heelis

A Conversation With...Dr. Roderick Heelis, the Cecil and Ida Green Honors Professor of Physics and director of the William B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences at UT Dallas.

Dr. Heelis is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, an international scientific society devoted to the research of the Earth and space.

He joined the UT Dallas Center for Space Sciences in 1973, after graduating from the University of Sheffield (England) with a Ph.D. in applied and computational mathematics.

Heelis is an expert on “space weather,” the phenomenon of disturbances that occur in the ionosphere, the gaseous band of charged particles that surround the Earth.

Space weather “storms” can disrupt GPS signals and wreak havoc on navigation systems for planes, trucks, ships and even missiles.

Heelis’ work may lead to a system that can predict when ionospheric storms are brewing, allowing crucial navigation systems time to adapt.

He is a passionate advocate for space science research and inspiring the next generation of students seeking answers from above the atmosphere.