Profile
Ms Megan Maunder
Postgraduate
Background:
I am a final year PhD Student in the Centre for Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, Solar-Terrestrial Plasmas and Space Weather. Under the supervision of Dr Claire Foullon, I am in receipt of an STFC funded Studentship for a 'Multi-Spacecraft Investigation of Solar and Heliospheric Plasmas'. My second supervisor is Professor Andrew Hillier.
I graduated from the University of Exeter in 2018 with an MSci Mathematics (Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics) and a College Commendation. My master's project was titled 'STEREO Investigation of High-Latitude Coronal Mass Ejections', which applied stereoscopic triangulation methods to remote-sensing data from NASA's twin-STEREO spacecraft.
My research interests include solar and heliospheric plasmas and Space Weather, with a particular interest in Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). I work with both in-situ and remote sensing data using multi-spacecraft observations and methods to examine CMEs, their properties, and evolution.
Awards & News:
I was awarded the British Interplanetary Society Next Generation Award for Rising Stars in Space. The award recognised five women under thirty five for their contributions to the British Space Sector. Judges comments: “Megan is an exceptional PhD student, who’s public outreach activities and commitment to inclusivity and accessibility across the space sector through multiple roles and activities makes her an incredibly well deserving recipient of the BIS NextGen Rising Women in Space award. Congratulations!"
(https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/student/title_882492_en.html)
Royal Astronomical Society:
I became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in October 2018. I am the Chair of the RAS Early Career Network Committee, providing support, networking, and advice for early career Fellows. Our
events have included:
- RAS ECN Poster Competition
- RAS ECN Finding Your First Post-Doctoral Role
- RAS ECN Careers Lunch at the National Astronomy Meeting 2021
- RAS COVID Survey
The ECN's latest publication: Hear it Through the Grapevine.
I am also a member of the Royal Astronomical Society's Membership Committee.
Post-Graduate Teaching Assosciate:
I have been a Post-Graduate Teaching Associate at the University since 2018. I completed the Learning and Teaching in Higher Educationt (LTHE) Level 1 & 2 programmes at Exeter in 2018/19 and have worked on the following modules:
- NSC1002 Mathematics and Computing: Integrative Tools for Natural Sciences (2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22)
- MTH2003 Differential Equations (2019/2020, 2020/21)
- MTH3007 Fluid Dynamics (2019/2020)
- MTH3008 Partial Differential Equations (2018/19, 2019/2020, 2020/21)
Additionally, I have supported undergraduate mathematics students in their final year BSc and MMath projects.