My main area of interest is the observation of the thermosphere using Fabry-Perot Interferometers, and in particular the investigation of small-scale structures (temporal and spatial); and the energetics and dynamics of ionosphere-thermosphere coupling in the auroral regions. My latest interest is in finding the absolute density of the thermosphere via satellite drag. This involves collaborations with space and satellite engineers. Absolute density is of particular importance for precise satellite orbit prediction, at a time when there is an exponential increase in the numbers of spacecraft being launched with little regulation. Space junk is a critical worry, and we now realise the importance of solar activity, manifested as Space Weather, on satellites and modern technology. Consequently it is time for a re-calibration of upper atmosphere models. These pioneering models were calibrated using data from the 1960s-1980s, which was a period of Grand Solar Maximum, and not representative of modern times.

The Atmospheric Physics Laboratory operates FPIs and an all-sky FPI called SCANDI at 3 sites in the Arctic regions of Scandinavia (Longyearbyen, Svalbard; Kiruna, Sweden; Sodankyla, Finland). These instruments were designed and built by the group and ideally (dependent on funding) we visit each one every winter to perform routine calibration and maintenance. We operate the FPIs remotely from UCL throughout the long winter nights to observe auroral and airglow emissions. We have provided ground support observations for international rocket experiments (e.g. CREX, Delta-1 and 2, RENU); and run coordinated experiments with the EISCAT and SuperDARN radars, and other instruments in that region. We have also provided observational comparisons with the APL's Earth atmospheric global circulation model - the Coupled Middle Atmosphere and Thermosphere (CMAT2) model.

After a year's sabbatical (2008-2009) at the UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory, I became involved with the QB50 CubeSat mission. QB50 was initially funded by an EU FP7 grant as a technology transfer mission for miniaturised sensors and the safe deployment of multiple nanosatellites from a single site. Twenty eight CubeSats were deployed from the International Space Station and eight from the Indian Polar Space Launch Vehicle rocket in summer 2017. We have monitored their decaying orbits and collected measurements of particle densities as they slowly descended through regions of the upper atmosphere that are poorly understood.

I am currently involved with the CIRCE CubeSat mission due for the first ever launch from a UK site at Spaceport Cornwall, in late 2022. Two 6-unit CubeSats will carry a suite of miniaturised space weather instruments, including the MSSL Ion-Neutral Mass Spectrometer. I am also looking forward to working with the innovative EISCAT-3D radar network that will replace the current EISCAT radars on the Scandinavian mainland.

The FPI and QB50 measurements combined with modelling studies have been used in several 4th year and MSc student projects, as well as PhD projects.