CYNTHIA LOPEZ PORTELA

Dr. Cynthia López-Portela is an Astrophysicist specializing in the reduction and analysis of scientific space-based data from remote-sensing and in-situ instruments. Her extensive academic background, including degrees in Physics (B.S., Mexico), Astrophysics (M.S., Italy), and Earth & Space Sciences (Ph.D., Mexico), has centered on Heliophysics research.

Her current work focuses on understanding solar wind acceleration through the kinematics and dynamics of density mesoscale structures detected by multiple spacecraft. By applying 3D analysis techniques to this multi-viewpoint data, she reduces projection effects to accurately determine the behavior patterns of these visible-light structures.

Dr. López-Portela joined the Solar Physics Laboratory at NASA-GSFC in April 2024 as a Postdoctoral Research Associate through the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) via the Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute (GPHI).

Educational and Mentorship

From 2010 to 2023, Dr. López-Portela has performed educational activities as a faculty member of the Lancaster School (an international school in Mexico City), as a lecturer and Physics Department Head. This has been one of the most exciting and fulfilling activities of Dr. López-Portela, which include the application of new technologies in education and their implementation in five different programs: SEP (middle years of the Mexican program), IMYC (International middle years), IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education), CCH (high school years of the Mexican program), and IB (International Baccalaureate in high school years).

Degrees:

April 2019 Doctoral Degree in Earth & Space Sciences (Ph.D. UNAM)

February 2010 Master’s Degree in Physics (M.Sc. UniFi)

January 2006 Bachelor’s Degree in Physics (B.Sc. UNAM)

Institutions:

August 2010 - April. 2019 Institute of Geophysics, UNAM, Earth Sciences Doctoral Program, Department of Space Sciences, Mexico City, Mexico.

Sept. 2006 - Nov. 2010 University of Florence (UniFi), Observatory of Arcetri, Department of Plasma Physics, Florence, Italy.

August 1999 - January 2006 Faculty of Science, UNAM, Department of Physics, Mexico City, Mexico.

2012  First National Prize Award, Ph.D. Talk, The Annual Meeting of the Mexican Geophysical Union

2006-2009 First National Prize Award, Italian Government Scholarships for Foreigner