Rate My Professor David Alexander

David Alexander is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Director of the Rice Space Institute at Rice University, where he advances research in Space Science. His primary research areas include solar physics, exoplanetary physics, and earth remote sensing. Alexander earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 1984, Bachelor of Science in Natural Philosophy and Astronomy in 1985, and Doctor of Philosophy in Relativistic Cosmology in 1989, all from the University of Glasgow. He joined the Rice faculty in 2003 and leads the Solar Astrophysics Research Group, which investigates solar, space, and astrophysical plasma environments using theory, computational models, observational data analysis, and machine learning. Key research focuses encompass the dynamic solar corona through analysis of thermal and non-thermal radiation, solar flare and coronal mass ejection physics, including models for gamma-rays, hard X-rays, and soft X-ray line broadening. He explores particle production associated with magnetic topology, helicity injection, and filament eruptions. Currently, he leads the NSF-funded INSPIRE project studying magnetic interactions between stars and planets and collaborates on a novel snapshot hyperspectral imager for Earth remote sensing with bioengineering colleagues.