Larisa Goncharenko elected as AGU Fellow
Dr. Larisa Goncharenko has been elected as an AGU Fellow, joining a distinguished group of 54 individuals in the 2024 Class of Fellows. AGU, the world’s largest Earth and space science association, bestows this honor annually to a select number of individuals who have made exceptional contributions. Since its inception in 1962, less than 0.1% of AGU members have been selected as Fellows each year. Goncharenko is an assistant director, research scientist, and head of the atmospheric and geospace science research group at MIT Haystack Observatory.
AGU Fellows are recognized for their scientific eminence, demonstrated through breakthroughs, discoveries or innovations that advance the Earth and space sciences. Fellows act as external experts, advising government agencies and other organizations outside the sciences upon request. Goncharenko was selected for her exemplary leadership and outstanding scientific achievements, which have significantly advanced our understanding of physics of the thermosphere and the ionosphere, stratosphere-mesosphere-thermosphere-ionosphere coupling, and space weather.
Goncharenko’s profile and list of publications: https://www-haystack-mit-edu.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/researcher/larisa-goncharenko/
The award committee received a letter of nomination stating, “Larisa’s research has led to breakthroughs in studying the coupling of the atmosphere and geospace environment in recent decades. Her achievements have been made by her sustained innovations in radar observation and analysis, coordinating ground-based and satellite observations, comparative studies between observations and modeling, and leading substantive dialogues among scientists from atmospheric and space disciplines.”
Another co-nominator said, “Larisa’s work has provided fundamental advances in our understanding of the lower atmosphere drivers of ionospheric variability that are critical to developing a robust ionospheric weather forecasting system and valid projections of future climate throughout the atmosphere-ionosphere system. Larisa has led the community in studies of other causes of ionospheric variability. She has won awards from NASA, the NSF, MIT, and journals for her scientific leadership, interdisciplinary research and service. Her exceptional record of collaboration, selfless service, and focus on education, outreach, and mentoring is testament to her commitment to AGU values.”
Goncharenko said, “It is a great honor to be elected as an AGU Fellow—I take it as recognition of outstanding effort of the many people working on lower/upper atmospheric coupling. We’ve come a long way, but there is still a lot of work. I hope this award highlights the importance of work that we do in the eyes of the broader research community.”
Originally from Ukraine, Goncharenko received her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Kharkiv National Polytechnic University in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and completed her PhD at the Rostock University in Germany. She began work at Haystack Observatory as a post-doctoral associate in 1996, became Research Scientist in 1997, and was appointed Assistant Director and head of the geospace research group at Haystack in 2024. Her primary research interests are in the physics of the thermosphere and the ionosphere, stratosphere-mesosphere-thermosphere-ionosphere coupling, and space weather.
Honorees will be recognized at AGU24, which will convene more than 25,000 attendees from over 100 countries in Washington, D.C., and online everywhere on 9–13 December 2024. Reflecting the theme “What’s Next for Science” at AGU24, the Honors Reception will recognize groundbreaking achievements that illustrate science’s continual advancement, inspiring the AGU community with their stories and successes.
AGU (www.agu.org) is a global community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in the Earth and space sciences. Through broad and inclusive partnerships, AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, unbiased and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C. and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct.
MIT Haystack Observatory (www.haystack.mit.edu) is a multidisciplinary research center located in northeastern Massachusetts, 43 km northwest of the main Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in Cambridge. The Observatory conducts a broad range of studies in the fields of geospace science, astronomy, geodesy, and space research and technology. Researchers are experts in geospace observational techniques, including an on-site high-power incoherent scatter radar; the very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) radio observing technique; and many other methods and instruments. An important component of Haystack’s mission is contributing to the scientific community and the general public as outgrowth of our efforts, including workforce development, outreach, and student education through research opportunities using the Observatory’s facilities.
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