The Alexander Chizhevsky Medal 2016

Doctor Julia Thalmann

Dr. Julia K. Thalmann received her master thesis in astrophysics at the University of Graz (Austria) under the supervision of Dr. Astrid Veronig, she analysed a CME- initiated shock wave, so-called Moreton wave, and filament oscillations. Already at this undergraduate stage she demonstrated to be an outstanding student with quite an exceptional outcome of three refereed papers. Thereafter, Julia was accepted as PhD student at the Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research (Germany) under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Wiegelmann. The topic of her PhD thesis was the non-linear force-free field modelling of the solar corona above active regions in relation to the occurrence of solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Particular important contributions of Julia’s research results lie in the reconstruction of the coronal free magnetic energy in active regions and its changes as a cause and response to a solar flare/CME event.

Presently, Julia is member of an ISSI (International Space Science Institute) team that compares and improves state-of-the-art methods for the calculation of magnetic helicity. Since 2013, Julia works as a post-doc fellow at the University of Graz. She was awarded her own research project in a very competitive process by the Austrian Science Foundation. In an ongoing study, Julia works on a systematic comparison and understanding why certain large flares are not associated with a CME, whereas most of them are. Within the space weather community, Julia regularly contributes as observing scientist of the day to the MiniMax24 campaign of the SCOSTEP VarSITI program. In addition, she is also very active in the public outreach of solar and space weather science in Austria, such as Space Day Graz, Open Doors of Astronomy, Long Night of Research. In summary, Dr. Julia Katharina Thalmann have taken unexplored ways, potentially at risk, to reach a better comprehension of the physics of the solar flares with the observational analysis as well as modelling of the solar coronal magnetic field.