New UTA center prepares students for space careers
For years, The University of Texas at Arlington has been a leader in space physics education and research. Now, it’s expanding that impact with the launch of the Center for Space Physics and Data Science.
The center was established with $1.5 million in funding awarded in 2024 through the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Faculty Development in GeoSpace Science project. Its mission is to strengthen UTA’s leadership in space physics while expanding workforce training through new undergraduate and graduate degree programs and advancing research supported by NSF, NASA and U.S. Air Force projects.
Yue Deng, UTA professor of physics, serves as director of the center. Ramon Lopez, professor of physics, is associate director for education, and Anton Artemyev, associate professor of physics, is associate director for research.
“We are very excited to launch the Center for Space Physics and Data Science, which will strengthen UTA’s already thriving space physics program,” said Morteza Khaledi, dean of the College of Science. “With an outstanding leadership team and a multidisciplinary approach, the center will prepare students for success in the space workforce and position UTA to make a meaningful impact on the space industry in Texas and beyond.”
Dr. Deng is principal investigator on the NSF grant that helped create the center, with Dr. Lopez and Alex Weiss, professor of physics, serving as co-principal investigators.
“UTA already has a strong foundation in space physics research,” Deng said. “With the creation of this center, our goal is to elevate UTA into the top five universities in the nation in space physics and further strengthen our role as a leader in the space science community.”
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Core faculty members include UTA Department of Physics faculty Yujie Chi, Mingwu Jin, Amir Shahmoradi, Cheng Sheng, Nila Veerabathina, Zihan Wang and Zhonghua Xu; Levent Gurdemir, director of the UTA Planetarium; and Hongru Chen and Liwei Zhang from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Affiliate members include Weidong Zhou, professor of electrical engineering at UTA; Qingyu Zhu, assistant professor of physics at UT Dallas; and Jorg-Micha Jahn, research scientist at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.
The center will train students across six focus areas: space simulation, space instrumentation, astrophysics, data science, aerospace engineering and physics education. These disciplines will prepare students for careers in the rapidly growing space industry, which has a strong presence in Texas and the Dallas–Fort Worth region.
New academic offerings include a bachelor’s degree in space physics and data science and a fast-track master’s degree.
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“These degree programs will include coursework critical to the space workforce,” Lopez said. “That includes engineering courses focused on spacecraft and launch systems, space physics courses that explain the space environment and its effects on missions, and cross-disciplinary training that ensures adaptability in computing, data and policy.”
The center is positioned for sustained growth. Faculty affiliated with the center currently receive nearly $3 million annually in research funding from NASA, NSF and other agencies. The center has also received support through NASA’s Heliophysics Science Center program.
Written by Greg Pederson, College of Science
About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
The University of Texas at Arlington is a growing public research university in the heart of the thriving Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. With a student body of over 42,700, UTA is the second-largest institution in the University of Texas System, offering more than 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Recognized as a Carnegie R-1 university, UTA stands among the nation’s top 5% of institutions for research activity. UTA and its 280,000 alumni generate an annual economic impact of $28.8 billion for the state. The University has received the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and has earned recognition for its focus on student access and success, considered key drivers to economic growth and social progress for North Texas and beyond.