Dr. Isik Kanik's research is directly related to spacecraft observations from Voyager, Galileo, Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Cassini, etc.
MONROVIA, CA, January 23, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dr. Isik Kanik has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
With more than 25 years of professional experience, Dr. Kanik has been a Senior Research Scientist with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) since 2006. He first pursued an education with Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey from which he obtained a Bachelor of Science in 1980 with Honors. He then was awarded a scholarship by winning a national exam administered by the Turkish Ministry of Education to pursue a Ph.D. degree in the United States. He joined the University of California, Riverside and completed a Master of Science in physics in 1984 and then earned a Doctor of Philosophy in physics in 1988. Dr. Kanik subsequently served as a postdoctoral research associate at the same university from 1988 to 1989, and subsequently was awarded a fellowship (1990 to 1992) by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council to conduct research at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in electron-impact emission spectroscopy applicable to planetary atmospheres. Upon completion of his fellowship, he was hired as a staff scientist at JPL in 1992. In 1995 he was promoted to the Research Scientist position and was subsequently appointed to the position of Element Lead for the Atomic and Molecular Collision Research Element in 2001. In 2002 he became a Principal Scientist in JPL's Science Division and served as a section manager of the Planetary and Life Detection Section from 2004 to 2009. In 2006 he became a Senior Research Scientist, which is his current position. In addition to his primary positions, Dr. Kanik has held a number of research/academic positions, including as an adjunct professor of physics with California State University, Fullerton since 1996.
Dr. Kanik is a leader in the area of electron-impact excitation/emission spectroscopy. His research is directly related to spacecraft observations from Voyager, Galileo, Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Cassini, etc. The applicability and value of the spacecraft observational data critically depends upon measurements of atomic/molecular parameters for their interpretation and full understanding. His pioneering work on atomic oxygen metastable emission was instrumental to the interpretation and modeling of HST observations of Europa and Ganymede. His fundamental research on Barium also represents innovative work that has played a central role in revealing the physics of polarization spectroscopy. It also had a significant impact on the theoretical development of the close-coupling method widely used in electron-impact spectroscopy. Starting in the early 2000's, Dr. Kanik initiated a new research activity at JPL involving the development of novel instrumentation/detection techniques for planetary in situ exploration. This earned him an outstanding reputation for the development of new science, instrumentation and technology for one of NASA's highest priority goals, the detection of life. He developed a novel and very sensitive organic molecule detector, specifically tailored for Mars missions (Patent 6,794,645 B2). His efforts proved highly successful in that he has been a recipient of both NASA and JPL awards and major NASA grants (_$16 million since 2008).
Based upon his accomplishments, Dr. Kanik was elected in 2001 as an "Institute Fellow" by the Institute of Physics. This is a highly prestigious recognition and is given to only a select few. Throughout his career, Dr. Kanik has been recognized for his contributions. He received JPL's Exceptional Technical Excellence Award in 1999. He received NASA's Team Award for his work on Electron Collisions relevant to planetary atmospheres, and he obtained several NASA Certificates of Recognition for his innovative work. He is a recipient of the JPL Explorer Award for Strategic Road Map and Implementation for Planetary Science. Most recently, he received a NASA Group Achievement Award from the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI). He is an elected Fellow of the Institute of Physics since 2001. Dr. Kanik was named among American Men and Women of Science, as well as International Who's Who.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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