Professor Sean Elvidge PhD

School of Engineering
Professor of Space Environment
Head of Space Environment Research (SERENE)

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)121 414 7724
Email: s.elvidge@bham.ac.uk
Twitter: @seanelvidge

Address: School of Engineering building
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Sean Elvidge is Professor of Space Environment and leads the Space Environment and Radio Engineering (SERENE) group in the School of Engineering.

Space weather events are one of the major risks facing society as it becomes increasingly dependent on technology. Sean's research is focused on using innovative mathematical methods to create the next generation space weather forecast models. He was selected for the inaugural Forbes Europe 30 Under 30 list in the Science and Healthcare category.

Sean is a passionate communicator of science on a range of topics. He frequently gives talks to groups and schools across the country, reaching over 1,500 people a year.

Qualifications

Professor of Space Environment

PhD in ionospheric modelling, University of Birmingham, 2014
MSci (Hons) in Mathematics, University of Birmingham, 2011

Teaching

LM Space Environment - Lead Lecturer
LI Engineering Mathematics 2 - Lecturer

Other activities

International Union of Radio Science (URSI) Early Career Representative
American Geophysical Union (AGU) Radio Science journal Associate Editor
URSI Council Representative to the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG)
Villiers Park Educational Trust: Tutor, Mentor & Charity Ambassador

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Brown, M, Lewis, HG, Kavanagh, AJ, Cnossen, I & Elvidge, S 2024, 'Future Climate Change in the Thermosphere Under Varying Solar Activity Conditions', Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, vol. 129, no. 9, e2024JA032659. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024ja032659

Culverwell, ID, Healy, SB & Elvidge, S 2024, 'One-Dimensional Variational Ionospheric Retrieval Using Radio Occultation Bending Angles: Part 1 -Theory', Space Weather, vol. 22, no. 1, e2023SW003572. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023SW003572

Elvidge, S, Healy, SB & Culverwell, ID 2024, 'One‐Dimensional Variational Ionospheric Retrieval Using Radio Occultation Bending Angles: 2. Validation', Space Weather, vol. 22, no. 1, e2023SW003571. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023SW003571

Ruck, JJ, Themens, DR, Ponomarenko, P, Burrell, AG, Kunduri, B, Ruohoniemi, JM & Elvidge, S 2024, 'On the Use of SuperDARN Ground Backscatter Measurements for Ionospheric Propagation Model Validation', Space Weather, vol. 22, no. 9, e2024SW003916. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024sw003916

Wood, AG, Donegan-Lawley, EE, Clausen, LBN, Spogli, L, Urbář, J, Jin, Y, Shahtahmassebi, G, Alfonsi, L, Rawlings, JT, Cicone, A, Kotova, D, Cesaroni, C, Høeg, P, Dorrian, GD, Nugent, LD, Elvidge, S, Themens, DR, Aragón, MJB, Wojtkiewicz, P & Miloch, WJ 2024, 'Statistical models of the variability of plasma in the topside ionosphere: 1. Development and optimisation', Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate, vol. 14, no. 7, 7. https://doi.org/10.1051/swsc/2024002

Spogli, L, Jin, Y, Urbář, J, Wood, AG, Donegan-Lawley, EE, Clausen, LBN, Shahtahmassebi, G, Rawlings, J, Cicone, A, Kotova, D, Cesaroni, C, Høeg, P, Dorrian, GD, Nugent, LD, Elvidge, S, Themens, DR, Aragón, MJB, Wojtkiewicz, P & Miloch, WJ 2024, 'Statistical Models of the Variability of Plasma in the Topside Ionosphere: 2. Performance assessment', Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate, vol. 14, 4. https://doi.org/10.1051/swsc/2024003

Allanson, O, Ma, D, Osmane, A, Albert, JM, Bortnik, J, Watt, CEJ, Chapman, SC, Spencer, J, Ratliff, DJ, Meredith, MP, Elsden, T, Neukirch, T, Hartley, DP, Black, R, Watkins, NW & Elvidge, S 2024, 'The challenge to understand the zoo of particle transport regimes during resonant wave-particle interactions for given survey-mode wave spectra', Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, vol. 11, 1332931. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2024.1332931

Brown, MK & Elvidge, S 2024, 'Using WACCM-X neutral densities for orbital propagation: Challenges and solutions', Journal of Space Safety Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsse.2024.04.012

Elvidge, S, Granados, SR, Angling, MJ, Themens, DR, Wood, AG & Brown, M 2023, 'Multi‐Model Ensembles for Upper Atmosphere Models', Space Weather, vol. 21, no. 3, e2022SW003356. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022SW003356

Abstract

Reid, B, Themens, D, McCaffrey, AM, Jayachandran, PT & Elvidge, S 2023, 'NG21A-05 Real-time resolution of instrumental biases using Rao-Blackwellized Particle Filtering', AGU Fall Meeting 2023, San Francisco, United States, 11/12/23 - 15/12/23. <https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm23/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1390896>

Letter

Themens, DR, Elvidge, S, McCaffrey, A, Jayachandran, PT, Coster, A, Varney, RH, Galkin, I, Goodwin, LV, Watson, C, Maguire, S, Kavanagh, AJ, Zhang, SR, Goncharenko, L, Bhatt, A, Dorrian, G, Groves, K, Wood, AG & Reid, B 2024, 'The High Latitude Ionospheric Response to the Major May 2024 Geomagnetic Storm: A Synoptic View', Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 51, no. 19, e2024GL111677. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gl111677

Paper

Elvidge, S, Healy, S & Culverwell, I 2023, 'Ionospheric Profile Retrievals using 1D‐Var with COSMIC‐2 Bending Angles', Paper presented at Ionospheric Effects Symposium (IES) 2023, Alexandria, United States, 9/05/23 - 11/05/23.

Nugent, L, Coleman, C, Cannon, PS & Elvidge, S 2023, 'Modelling a Networked Over the Horizon Radar', Paper presented at Magnetosphere Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial Physics (MIST) meeting, Birmingham, United Kingdom, 3/04/23 - 5/04/23.

Elvidge, S & Themens, D 2023, 'Operational Assimilative Ionospheric Models in Europe and the UK', Paper presented at Ionospheric Effects Symposium (IES) 2023, Alexandria, United States, 9/05/23 - 11/05/23.

Preprint

Reid, B, Themens, DR, Elvidge, S, Ahmed, MA, Wong, J & Ball, W 2024 'AIDA: A Real-Time Global Ionosphere/Plasmasphere Data Assimilation Model' ESS Open Archive. https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.170516089.91436324/v1

View all publications in research portal

Media experience

Stargazing Live at The University of Birmingham

Professor Elvidge has a wide range of media experience. This work has primarily been with BBC Learning as part of Stargazing Live which has included numerous radio and television interviews.

As well as regularly advising local radio on science and astronomy topics, Sean has also written a number of articles for magazines (Experimental, iSquared, Plus Magazine, Space Weather Quarterly and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications Magazine).

Expertise

Professor Elvidge has a plethora of experience advising the UK Cabinet Office and Ministry of Defence on issues related to space weather and the probability of extreme events. Among his experience:

Advice to UK Government (Ministry of Defence & Civil Contingencies Secretary) on Space Weather modelling and risk
Advice on Space Weather and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) risk for UK National Risk Register
Taken part in Royal Society sponsored Parliamentary Pairing Scheme – pairing scientists with senior civil servants