David Burgess is a professor of mathematics and astronomy at Queen Mary University of London. His research interests include space and astrophysical plasma physics; shocks and turbulence in collisionless plasmas; and large scale, highly parallel plasma simulation. He is the co-investigator on three instruments on the ESA Solar Orbiter mission.
James Drake is a professor of physics and the University of Maryland College Park. He earned his bachelors degree from UCLA and remained at UCLA to complete his doctorate in theoretical physics in 1975. After completing his doctorate, Professor Drake remained at UCLA for a brief time as a post-doctoral scholar and then moved to the University of Maryland first as a post-doctoral scholar and then as a member of the teaching faculty in the Department of Physics and the Institute for Physical Science and Technology. Professor Drake has worked on a very broad range of topics in the general area of theoretical plasma physics using both analytical and numerical techniques. His work has applications spanning a variety of physical systems, including the solar corona, the earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere, magnetically confined plasma, and the interaction of intense lasers with plasma. His present focus is on magnetic reconnection with space physics applications and turbulence and transport with applications to the magnetic fusion program. In recognition for his contributions to the field of plasma physics, he was granted fellowship status in the American Physical Society and was awarded a Humboldt Senior Scientist Research Award.
Dr. Rudolf von Steiger is the director of the International Space Science Institute in Bern, Switzerland. His research is primarily about the solar wind, mainly using data from SWICS on Ulysses. He also lectures at the University of Bern, where he earned his PhD in experimental physics in 1988.
Dr. Marco Velli has taught mechanics, electromagnetism, astrophysicsand plasma physics courses at the University of Florence; mentored 7 students for their Laurea Thesis in Florence; and directed 5 PhD theses at the University of Florence and 2 at the University of Paris XI Orsay. He has been a member of peer review committees for NASA research and payload proposals as well as for ESA, and a member of the science definition team for Solar Orbiter (2003). He is presently a member of the Solar Probe science and technology definition team, where he is responsible for drafting the Scientific Objectives and requirements. Dr. Velli was chair and main scientific editor for the international conference Solar Wind 10, in Pisa, June 2002. He has published over seventy peer-reviewed research papers involving many collaborators both in Italy and abroad, as well as invited papers and lecture notes. He earned his PhD in Physics from the University of Pisa in 1985.
Thomas Zurbuchen is a professor in space science and aerospace engineering and the Associate Dean for Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan. He earned his PhD from the University of Bern and his research interests include solar and heliospheric physics and experimental space research.
