Bill Kurth
Current Position:
Research Scientist, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Education:
Ph.D. (Physics), University of Iowa, 1979
M.S. (Physics), University of Iowa, 1975
B.A. (Physics and Mathematics), University of Iowa, 1973
Experience:
William Kurth is a Research Scientist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa
where he has been a member of the Radio and Plasma Wave group since 1979 upon the completion of his
Ph.D. in physics in the same group. His research focuses on plasma waves in space plasmas in planetary
magnetospheres and the solar wind as well as solar system radio astronomy. He has done extensive work
on plasma waves at Earth and each of the giant gas planets. He has studied auroral
kilometric radiation at Earth and nonthermal radio emissions at Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. He
discovered low-frequency heliospheric radio emissions now thought to be generated near the heliopause. He is using recent Voyager observations to measure the electron density in the interstellar medium.
Dr. Kurth is
Principal Investigator for the Voyager Plasma Wave Science investigation and the
Lead Co-Investigator for Juno Waves investigation.
Formerly, he was the Lead Co-Investigator for the Van Allen Probes (aka Radiation Belt Storm Probes) Waves Investigation and
the
Principal Investigator (since Oct. 2015) and former Deputy PI for the
Radio and Plasma Wave Science instrument on Cassini; and
a Co-Investigator on the wave investigations on Voyager, Galileo, and Polar.
Previously, he was the Project Scientist for the Plasma Diagnostics Package that flew as part of
Spacelab 2, and the Project Manager for an instrument development for Solar Polar until that
project was canceled by NASA.
He was a member of the Planetary Science Data Steering Group that developed the concept for
the Planetary Data System (PDS) and served as
the Project Scientist for the PDS between 1987 and 1989.
He is currently the manager of the Outer Planets Subnode of the Planetary Plasma Interactions Node of the PDS.
He was Chair of the Data Working Group for Galileo.
He served on COMPLEX (1991-1993),
was a member of the Space Physics Subcommittee of NASA's Space Science Advisory Committee (1992-1995),
was a member of the CSSP Decadal Study--Solar Wind-Magnetospheric Interactions Panel (2001),
and a member of the Sun-Earth Connections Roadmap Committee (2002).
He was a member of the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter Science Definition Team (2003-2004), the Titan and Saturn System Science Mission Science and Technology Definition Team (2008), and the Europa Science Definition Team (2011-2014).
Dr. Kurth was an Associate Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research (1997-2001), and
Secretary of the AGU Space Physics and Astronomy Solar and Heliospheric Physics subsection (2004-2006).
He is author or co-author of more than 750 papers in refereed journals and in other publications.
Honors and Awards:
1981 NASA Group Achievement Award - Voyager
1981 NASA Certificate of Appreciation - Voyager
1986 NASA Group Achievement Award - Voyager/Uranus
1986 NASA Public Service Group Achievement Award - Spacelab 2
1990 NASA Group Achievement Award - Voyager/Neptune
1991 NASA Group Achievement Award - Galileo
1993 NASA Group Achievement Award - Galileo/Gaspra
1996 NASA Group Achievement Award - Galileo/Probe and Orbit Insertion
1997 NASA Group Achievement Award - Galileo Orbital Operations Recovery Team
1998 NASA Group Achievement Award - Polar PWI/GGS
1998 NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini RPWS
1998 NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini Science Operations
1999 NASA Group Achievement Award - Galileo Prime Mission
2005 NASA Group Achievement Award - Jupiter Icy Moons Science Definition Team
2006 NASA Group Achievement Award - Voyager Interstellar Mission Heliosheath Entry
2008 NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini Titan Integration Science Team
2008 NASA Certificate of Appreciation - Cassini RPWS Archiving
2009 NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini Rings TWT
2009 NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini Titan Orbiter Science Team
2009 NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini Titan Integration Science Team
2009 NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini Satellites Target Working Team
2009 NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini Magnetosphere Target Working Team
2009 NASA Public Service Group Achievement Award - Cassini RPWS
2010 University of Iowa Outstanding Staff Award
2012 NASA Group Achievement Award - Juno Proposal Team
2012 NASA Group Achievement Award - Juno Ground Data System DevelopmentTeam
2012 NASA Group Achievement Award - Juno Waves Instrument Team
2012 NASA Group Achievement Award - Juno Science Team
2012 NASA Group Achievement Award - Juno Mission Operations Development Team
2012 NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medal - Juno/Waves Subsystem and Juno Data Working Group
2013 NASA Group Achievement Award - Juno Waves FFT Engine Fault Resolution Team
2013 NASA Group Achievement Award - Van Allen Probes Project Team
2014 University of Iowa Distinguished Research Professional Award
2014 NASA Silver Achievement Medal - Voyager Project Team
2014 NASA Group Achievement Award - Juno Earth Flyby Operations Team
2014 NASA Group Achievement Award - Juno Earth Flyby 'Hi Juno' Development Team
2014 Selected as an American Geophysical Union Fellow
2015 NASA Group Achievement Award - Juno Orbital Studies Team
2015 NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini Solstice Mission Titan Team
2016 NASA Group Achievement Award - Juno Side-Swap Implementation Team
2017 NASA Group Achievement Award - Juno Jupiter Orbit Insertions Team
2018 NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini RPWS Science in the Ring Grazing and Grand Finale Orbits
2018 NASA Group Achievement Award - Juno Mission Re-design Team
2020 University of Iowa Postdoctoral Association Mentor Award
william-kurth@uiowa.edu