EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
BECOMING A PLASMA PHYSICIST
The mission of a plasma physicist is to reproduce entry plasmas (state of matter that occurs predominantly in space) either in the laboratory or through computer simulations and to better understand their underlying physics. Plasma physicists are researchers and will mainly work in research institutions or universities. So, If your students seem to enjoy studying, discovering and understanding new physics, and if they always dreamed about space exploration and helping mankind to explore new planets, this is the right job for them!
SKILLS
Find out about the key skills to become a Plasma Physicist.
Scientific Computing
Both specializations of plasma physicists -experimentalists and computational physicists- need to develop scientific computing skills in order to process their data and reach scientific conclusions.
Artificial Inteligence
Working in the design of such high demand computational models demands from the professional to be acquainted with algorithms of artificial intelligence.
Productivity
This career path demands continuous learning and studying. Finding ways to be productive and meet the deadlines of the research process is essential.
Storage and System Management
Conducting research includes tasks that revolve around database administration. Such tasks might include storing, managing and processing the tasks according to the demands of the research project.
Problem
Solving
Problem-solving involves the identification of complex problems and reviews related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Analytical
Reasoning
All the processes that are described in the career sheet demand the ability to analyse data and reach conclusions that improve our understanding of space and bring us closer to space exploration.
Curious to
know more?
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Meet Mario Antonio Prazeres Lino da Silva
Mario Antonio Prazeres Lino da Silva is an Assistant Researcher at the Institute for Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion of the Instituto Superior Técnico. His work focuses on the theoretical and experimental analysis of the physical-chemical processes encountered downstream of a strong shock-wave during a spacecraft atmospheric entry. Part of this work is related to Space exploration programs sponsored by the European Space Agency.
CC BY 4.0: all the materials and content presented on this STEM Job profile have been provided by Space Awareness, a project funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Programme under grant agreement nº 63865.
