The Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate (JSWSC) is seeking a new Editor-in-Chief!

JSWSC seeks a new Editor-in-Chief (EiC) to join its leadership team and help shape the future of this #GoldOpenAccess journal published by EDP Sciences.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop the journal’s strategy and scientific profile

• Ensure the quality and integrity of peer review

• Represent JSWSC publicly and liaise with EDP Sciences and E-SWAN

• Oversee Topical Issues and manage the Editorial Board

• Solicit manuscript submissions from the space weather and space climate communities

Requirements:

• Residence or primary affiliation in Europe

• Prior experience as a journal editor (regular or guest)

• Strong scientific communication skills in English

- Term: 4 years (renewable)
- Volunteer position – no remuneration
- Applications review starts in August 2025

Find more information here.

Submit your application (CV + motivation letter) to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Topical Issues open for submission

"Space Climate: Solar Extremes, Long-Term Variability, and Impacts on Earth’s System", deadline: 30 September 2025

Topical Editors-in-Chief (T-EiC):

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (hisashi-at-nagoya-u.jp), Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan; RAL STFC, Didcot, Oxfordshire, UK
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (chatzistergos-at-mps.mpg.de), Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen, Germany

Forthcoming papers

Interested in the newest publications? Sign up for e-mail alert  

Call for nominations:
International Space Weather and Space Climate Medals 2025

Dear Colleagues,

We are happy to announce the 2025 contest for the three International Space Weather and Space Climate Medals. The medal recipients will be announced during the Medal Ceremony on 27th October 2025 at the European Space Weather Week in Umea (Sweden). Each winner will be invited to give a 20-minute lecture about his/her research in a dedicated session on the following day. Moreover, medalists are invited to serve on the Awards Committee in the following three years and they are offered free E-SWAN membership for those three years.

All three prizes are prestigious recognitions of the recipients’ major contributions in the field of Space Weather and Space Climate. Medal recipients’ achievements must have been documented via publications in peer-reviewed journals or book chapters, or must be technological contributions that have led to a fully implemented and documented new Space Weather or Space Climate capability. Medal recipients’ work must be internationally recognized in the field of Space Weather and/or Space Climate.

In addition to the above common criteria, there are the following specific requirements for each of the three medals:

The Kristian Birkeland Medal for Space Weather and Space Climate:

The Kristian Birkeland Medal is awarded for outstanding achievements in combining basic and applied research, and in developing essential Space Weather and/or Space Climate products used across scientific disciplines and/or even outside the research community. The work must have led to a better physical comprehension of the solar-terrestrial phenomena, to a crucial improvement of Space Weather and/or Space Climate modelling, or to a new generation of observational techniques or instruments.

The Baron Marcel Nicolet Medal for Space Weather and Space Climate:

The Baron Marcel Nicolet Medal is awarded for outstanding achievements in educating and serving the Space Weather and Space Climate community, for binding it together in a spirit of peace and friendship, fostering collaboration and cooperation, and/or for going even beyond the Space Weather and Space Climate research community by engaging larger audiences.

The Alexander Chizhevsky Medal for Space Weather and Space Climate:

The Alexander Chizhevsky Medal is awarded to an early career scientist in recognition of outstanding achievements in Space Weather and Space Climate with an innovative approach. The nominee must be an early career scientist within eight (8) years of receiving his/her first PhD or an equivalent degree at the time of nomination. This period may be increased for confirmed career breaks (such as periods of sickness, military service, parental leave, and other care duties which took them away from their scientific work).

How to nominate?

In order to nominate a person for one of the International Space Weather and Space Climate Medals, please send one single pdf document which includes:

• Your full name and professional address.
• The full name and professional address of the person that you nominate (the nominee).
• Which of the three medals the nominee is nominated for (only one medal type is allowed for each nominee).
• Reasons for the nomination (two pages maximum). Please make sure that these reasons should relate to Space Weather and/or Space Climate and fulfill the criteria listed above.
• A full CV of the nominee (three pages maximum).
• Letters of support from two colleagues, preferably outside your own or the candidate's institution. You may also include those two colleagues as co-signatories on the nomination proposal.
• Up to five references (journal articles, prizes, patents, etc.) of the nominee's work.

Self-nominations are not allowed. Any individual can only nominate one person for a medal. Note that the medal committee members cannot nominate or be nominated.

Send the documents by email to:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The deadline for the nominations:  15th July 2025.

Composition of the Awards Committee in 2025:

Previous winners:

Richard Horne (2020 Birkeland)

Madhulika Guhathakurta (2020 Nicolet)

Mateja Dumbovic (2020 Chizhevsky)

Maria Kusnetsova (2021 Nicolet)

Martin A. Reiss (2021 Chizhevsky)

Charles N. Arge (2023 Birkeland)

Claudio Cesaroni (2023 Chizhevsky)

Yoshizumi Miyoshi (2024 Birkeland)

Theodosios Chatzistergos (2024 Chizhevsky)

Ex-officio members:

Ronald van der Linden: Representative of the E-SWAN Executive Board.

Piers Jiggens: Representative of the ESWW Programme Committee.

Ilya Usoskin: Representative of the E-SWAN Publication Committee.

The Awards Committee is chaired by Andrea Opitz.

In Memoriam: Professor Hermann Opgenoorth (1951–2025)

The international space science communities mourn the loss of Professor Hermann Opgenoorth, who passed away on May 19, 2025. Hermann was born in Bottrop, Germany, in 1951 and began his scientific career with a Master’s degree in Geophysics from the University of Münster in 1978. He moved to Sweden in 1981, earning his PhD from Uppsala University in 1983, followed by a Docent qualification in 1990. Hermann’s career spanned over four decades, during which he made seminal contributions to science.

Hermann’s research was pivotal in elucidating the complex interactions between the solar wind, magnetosphere, and ionosphere at both Earth and Mars. He was renowned for pioneering coordinated observations that combined data from both space-based missions and ground-based observatories, and for putting fundamental research to good use, exemplified in his engagement in space weather. His contributions to European Space Agency (ESA) missions, as well as his leadership in establishing ground-based networks like EISCAT, SuperDARN, and the IMAGE magnetometer array, exemplified his commitment to integrated, collaborative science. He had an attitude that was curious, steadfast, tenacious and brilliant. An important element of Hermann’s work over those 40+ years was his support for numerous early career researchers around the globe, many of whom now have successful careers in the field.

Beyond his scientific achievements, Hermann was a fervent advocate for international cooperation in space research. As Head of the Solar System Missions Division at the European Space Agency, he championed missions that bridged scientific inquiry with societal relevance. During this time Hermann was a driving force behind initiatives such as the International Living With a Star (ILWS) program, fostering global partnerships to advance our understanding of space weather and its impacts on Earth. A different, but no less important initiative, was the creation of the Mars Upper Atmosphere Network (MUAN), designed to bring together an international group of scientists working on the plasma environment of Mars. While initially small, MUAN now brings together scientists from around the globe to its meetings, where new results are discussed, new collaborations begun and new mission concepts prepared. Hermann was also a pivotal member of the Expert Group on Space Weather for the United Nations’ Committee on peaceful Use of Outer Space and the co-chair of an ESF/ESSC Space Weather Assessment and Consolidation Working Group.

Hermann’s outstanding contributions have been recognised by his peers and colleagues through several awards. In 2018 Hermann was awarded the International Marcel Nicolet Award at the European Space Weather week andin 2023 Julius Bartels Medal by the European Geosciences Union, honouring his exceptional work in substorm and space weather research, as well as his unwavering commitment to fostering international collaboration. He was also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Societyand held Honorary Professorships at the University of Leicester.

In the later years of his career, he joined Umeå University in northern Sweden, where he continued his passionate engagement in research, mentoring, and international collaboration as Professor Emeritus. Although officially retired, he remained deeply involved in the scientific community — contributing to ongoing projects, supporting early-career scientists, and strengthening global research networks. His presence at Umeå was marked by intellectual generosity, enthusiasm for discovery, and a sincere commitment to nurturing the next generation of researchers. He was a deeply valued colleague whose guidance and warmth left a lasting impression on his colleagues.

Hermann’s legacy is one of scientific depth, lasting contributions to space physics, and an unwavering dedication to international collaboration. He will be remembered for shaping key areas of solar-terrestrial research, and his commitment to advancing science through cooperation and mentorship will continue to inspire future generations of researchers. He will also be remembered for his endless and cheerful stories over a beer in cozy pubs.

He is survived by his family, colleagues, and a global community of researchers who were privileged to work alongside him.

With deep respect and remembrance,
Dr. Maria Hamrin, Department of Physics, Umeå University, Sweden
Dr. Audrey Schillings, Department of Physics, Umeå University, Sweden
Prof. Mark Lester, University of Leicester, UK
Dr. Johan Köhler, Swedish National Space Agency
Close collaborators and friends of Professor Hermann Opgenoorth,
on behalf of his many colleagues and friends in the international space science communities

To contribute to the newsletter, please refer to the general rules reported here.