Man Hua receives 2022 Chancellor’s Award for Postdoctoral Research

Alex Flores

This prestigious award recognizes significant postdoctoral research contributions and is awarded to only eight recipients at UCLA annually. Dr Man Hua’s studies focus on radiation belt electron dynamics and resonant wave-particle interactions that play a significant role in altering electron dynamics. Important findings from her research include:

  • Revealed for the first time the natural upper limit of electron acceleration by chorus waves, which provides a new explanation of the observed most intense radiation environment apart from the previous theory that has been accepted for almost 60 years.  
  • Based on the recent experiment of rocket exhaust-driven amplification of very-low-frequency (VLF) waves originating from the ground-based station, her study first reported that very-low-frequency (VLF) transmitter waves play a dual role in electron acceleration at higher energies and losses at lower energies.
  • Quantified how the uncertainties in the model inputs influence the simulation results

Overall, her studies are crucial to advance the current understanding and benefit the future forecast of radiation belt electrons. She presented the award at the 2022 Postdoctoral Scholars & Mentors Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, November 9, 2022.