Rate My Professor Jasper Halekas

Jasper S. Halekas is a Professor of Space Science in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa. He received his PhD in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 2003 for his thesis on the origins of lunar crustal magnetic fields, an MA in Physics from Berkeley in 2000, and BS degrees in Physics and Mathematics, magna cum laude, from the University of Washington in 1997. Halekas began his career with undergraduate research at the University of Washington and Berkeley, followed by graduate research at Berkeley. After earning his PhD, he served as a Visiting Postdoctoral Research Physicist at Berkeley from 2003 to 2005, then held progressive research physicist positions there from 2005 to 2014, including Assistant Research Physicist roles. He joined the University of Iowa as Associate Professor in 2014 and was promoted to Professor in 2022.

Halekas's research utilizes charged particle measurements to study plasma processes and solar wind interactions with unmagnetized bodies like Mars and the Moon, contributing to missions including MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution), where he leads the Solar Wind Ion Analyzer instrument, Parker Solar Probe as electrons instrument scientist, ARTEMIS, TRACERS, and Lunar Vertex. His prolific publications, exceeding 22,000 citations, include 'Electrons in the Collisionally Young Solar Wind: Parker Solar Probe Observations' (The Astrophysical Journal, 2025), 'Discovery of a proton aurora at Mars' (Nature Astronomy, 2018), 'The Three-Dimensional Bow Shock of Mars as Observed by MAVEN' (Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 2018), 'Hot Oxygen Corona' (Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 2018), and 'Bow shock oscillations of Mars under weakly disturbed solar wind conditions' (Nature Communications, 2025). Halekas has earned major honors such as the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (2016), NASA Silver Achievement Medal for Parker Solar Probe Team (2019), Group Achievement Awards for MAVEN and Parker teams (2016-2023), Collegiate Scholar Award (2022), and Collegiate Teaching Award (2019). He has served as editor for Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (2010-2019), on numerous departmental and college committees including Faculty Senate representative, and delivered public lectures to amateur astronomers, schools, and community groups.