Rassoul, Hamid
Hamid K. Rassoul
Professor | COES: Department of Aerospace, Physics and Space Sciences
Contact Information
Personal Overview
Hamid K. Rassoul is a Distinguished University Professor in Physics and Space Sciences. He has nearly 4 decades of experience in teaching, research and administration, including serving the university as a dean for 12 years. He has been faculty mentor for dozens of faculties, supervised 11 PDFs, graduated 36 Ph.D. and 66 M.S. students, and trained army of UG research students. Dr. Rassoul a veteran space physicist with expertise on earth system sciences and space plasma physics including ionospheric physics. He has been the PI or Co-PI for about 26 MUSD in federally funded research. He has more than 240 conference and peer-reviewed journal publications.
His research interests include advancing the science and technology of lightning, geospace energetic radiation (x-ray and gamma ray), formation of atmospheric transient luminous events (TLEs), occurrence of high amplitude electromagnetic pulses (EMPs), electromagnetic signatures of terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs), storm-time ionospheric and plasmaspheric dynamics, magnetospheric pulsations (ULF, Pc 1-5, and field-line resonances), geomagnetic storms (LLR & HP aurorae), and cosmic rays modulation within heliosphere (observation and theory using stochastic algorithms).
- Despite our familiarity with lightning and the large amount of damage that it can do, scientists and engineers know surprisingly little about how lightning discharges occur (mysteries of lightning).
- By increasing our understanding of how lightning works, we can better protect ourselves and our investments against this natural hazard. (Protecting Operations, Communications, Assets, and Personnel).
- Central Florida is the lightning capital of the United States, having one of the highest concentrations of lightning strikes in the world.
- Since 2003, FIT has been one of the world leaders in atmospheric electricity and lightning research.
- Rassoul's past lightning research efforts (2002-2017) has focused mostly on the physics of lightning discharges (Basics Research).
- Rassoul's recent lightning research efforts (2018-present) has focus mostly on the applications of lightning discharges as a powerful source of electromagnetic illuminator (Applied Research).