This talk takes an in-depth look at Lucie’s research. She focusses on understanding why the Sun produces the most energetic eruptions in the Solar System; events known as coronal mass ejections. Since their discovery in the early 1970s it has been realised that these eruptions occur due to changes in the Sun’s magnetic field. Lucie’s work investigates a certain magnetic field configuration known as a flux rope. Understanding how and where flux ropes form has unravelled some of the mysteries around coronal mass ejections and understanding their magnetic structure has not only helped explain why these eruptions occur, but also what their space weather impact might be if they are ejected toward the Earth.
Lucie studied at the University of Sussex (MPhys) and UCL (PhD), and after a few years away from research following her PhD working on outreach projects like the Faulkes Telescope Project she was awarded a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship and came back to solar physics at UCL. She was then awarded a Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust followed by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. She is currently a Professor of Physics at UCL studying solar activity, in particular eruptions of plasma and magnetic field known as coronal mass ejections. She is Chair of governors at the UCL Academy; Chief stargazer at the Society for Popular Astronomy; member of the Science Museum Advisory Board; member of the editorial board for Contemporary Physics; and co-Chair of European Astrofest.
Lucie studied at the University of Sussex (MPhys) and UCL (PhD), and after a few years away from research following her PhD working on outreach projects like the Faulkes Telescope Project she was awarded a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship and came back to solar physics at UCL. She was then awarded a Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust followed by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. She is currently a Professor of Physics at UCL studying solar activity, in particular eruptions of plasma and magnetic field known as coronal mass ejections. She is Chair of governors at the UCL Academy; Chief stargazer at the Society for Popular Astronomy; member of the Science Museum Advisory Board; member of the editorial board for Contemporary Physics; and co-Chair of European Astrofest.
