About the Airglow & Irregularities Research Group

Welcome! This is the website for the research group headed by Prof. Jonathan Makela at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We focus on understanding the dynamics of the ionosphere using a combination of optical and radio techniques. This is accomplished through instrument development, experimental campaigns, and data analysis. Our group is part of the Remote Sensing & Space Science group in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. We are always looking for students interested in becoming involved in our research, especially those with a background in signal/image processing, plasma physics, or optical/radio instrument design.

Our research takes us all around the world. We are currently conducting experiments on two continents, with funding to set up sites at additional locations in the near future. See the map below for our past, current, and future locations.