Rate My Professor Hannah Schunker

Dr Hannah Schunker is an ARC Future Fellow in the Physics discipline within the School of Science at the University of Newcastle. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy from Monash University and Bachelor of Science from the University of Adelaide. Her professional career encompasses roles at the University of Newcastle, including Lecturer from April 2020 to December 2023 and ARC Future Fellow from March 2022 to March 2026. Previously, she held positions at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany: Research Scientist from March 2019 to April 2020, Project Scientist from September 2009 to March 2019, and Postdoctoral Researcher from September 2006 to September 2009. Schunker also received the University of Newcastle 2022 Research Advantage Women in Research Fellowship.

Schunker's expertise centers on solar and stellar physics, employing helioseismology and asteroseismology to investigate the solar dynamo, magnetic field evolution, active region emergence, near-surface convection, and stellar rotation. Her research supports missions such as Solar Orbiter and PLATO, addressing the coupling of surface dynamics to subsurface layers. Notable publications include 'A flux-independent increase in outflows prior to the emergence of active regions on the Sun' (2024, MNRAS), 'Origin of Joy’s Law in the Context of Near-Surface Convection on the Sun' (2025), 'The Sun’s Open–Closed Flux Boundary and the Origin of the Slow Solar Wind' (2025), 'Understanding Active Region Origins and Emergence on the Sun and Other Cool Stars' (2023, Space Science Reviews), and 'A low upper limit on the subsurface rise speed of solar active regions' (2016, Science Advances). She teaches undergraduate courses such as PHYS2100 Introduction to Astronomy, PHYS1220 Advanced Physics II, and PHYS2112 Classical Physics. Schunker contributes to public outreach via lectures like 'Our Magnetic Sun' for the Royal Society of NSW (2025) and appearances on ABC Catalyst discussing solar storms (2022).