{"id":884,"date":"2021-04-26T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staffblogs.le.ac.uk\/physicsastronomy\/?p=884"},"modified":"2025-02-26T13:37:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T13:37:28","slug":"congrats-to-new-stfc-rutherford-fellow-dr-sanchez-cano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staffblogs.le.ac.uk\/physicsastronomy\/2021\/04\/26\/congrats-to-new-stfc-rutherford-fellow-dr-sanchez-cano\/","title":{"rendered":"Congrats to new STFC Rutherford Fellow – Dr. S\u00e1nchez-Cano"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The School is celebrating the announcement that Dr. Beatriz Sanchez-Cano has been awarded a prestigious STFC Ernest Rutherford fellowship for her pioneering research in planetary science.<\/em><\/strong>

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Dr Beatriz S\u00e1nchez-Cano has been awarded a prestigious Ernest Rutherford Fellowship to continue research into the interactions between the Sun\u2019s \u2018solar wind\u2019 and the atmospheres of Venus, Earth and Mars through study of ground-based observations and data from space probes such as BepiColombo, of which\u00a0the University of Leicester plays an important role<\/a>.

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Her work will advance our understanding of habitability in the Solar System, and inform robotic exploration and eventually human exploration.

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The Ernest Rutherford Fellowships are awarded to early-career researchers who have leadership potential in their chosen field.

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Dr S\u00e1nchez-Cano is one of 10 talented researchers to receive a five-year award from \u00a35.7million total of STFC funding to establish an independent research programme.

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Dr Beatriz S\u00e1nchez-Cano, Ernest Rutherford Fellow and part of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester, said: \u201cThis Fellowship will allow me to provide a better and necessary understanding of the influence of the Sun on three different types of planetary upper atmospheres. This is very important for understanding planetary habitability.

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\u201cI\u2019m very honoured and grateful for this incredible opportunity to establish my own independent research and consolidate my scientific career at the University of Leicester, which has always been very supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n



Professor Philip Baker, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, said: \u201cAs a University we are proud to support outstanding scientists throughout their career, and I wish to congratulate Dr S\u00e1nchez-Cano on this prestigious Fellowship award.

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\u201cWe are proud that Leicester is leading the way in space research and enterprise, and the opening of the first phase of our Space Park Leicester development will enable increased collaboration between researchers and high-profile industry partners. This underlines our ambition to play a key role in expanding our understanding of the Earth, our Solar System, and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n



Dr S\u00e1nchez-Cano has also received the\u00a02020 Arne Richter Award for Outstanding Early Career Scientists<\/a>\u00a0from the European Geosciences Union for her study of Mars\u2019 ionosphere, and is a European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) guest investigator for the BepiColombo mission as well as co-investigator for the MARSIS instrument onboard ESA\u2019s Mars Express mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n



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I\u2019m very glad to officially announce that I\u2019m one of the 10 people that got the STFC Ernest Rutherford fellowship this year!! I\u2019m so happy for this amazing opportunity to start my own independent research line, and of course, to continue working at @uniofleicester<\/a> for many years! https:\/\/t.co\/JM48W5AxaA<\/a><\/p>— Beatriz S\u00e1nchez-Cano (@BSCRedrojo) April 26, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>