Mark Miesch is a senior research scientist and CIRES@NOAA lab lead at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). His work focuses on identifying, evaluating, and validating new models, applications, and technology related to solar wind, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), the solar cycle, and more. Curiosity inspired Miesch’s career, and his desire to give back steered him to operational forecasting. Miesch loves to travel — he serves as a guide for northern lights tours in Canada and will also serve as a guide for the 2027 eclipse in Egypt.

What do you work on at CIRES?

As a scientist at an operational center [NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center], my job is to identify, evaluate, and validate new models, applications, scientific insights, and technical advancements for the purpose of improving space weather prediction. Particular focus areas include the solar wind, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), the solar cycle, and Earth's upper atmosphere

What are you most passionate about professionally?

I chose a scientific career because I was inspired by curiosity. I wanted to know how the universe works. What makes stars shine? Why do hurricanes spin? What lies under the clouds of Venus? I asked questions like these for nearly three decades, learning what I could about how stars form, about what powers the Sun's dramatic activity, about the universal truths of turbulence and magnetism. But as I became older, I felt compelled to give back. Academic research has been rewarding, but I wanted to use my skills and expertise to have a more tangible benefit to society. I deliberately made a career shift into numerical weather prediction. After four years, the opportunity arose to leverage my space science expertise with my knowledge of operational forecasting, as a scientist at SWPC. The Sun continues to inspire me, as a window to the cosmos - a star up close - as a wellspring of life-giving energy, and as a growing hazard to our technological civilization.

Best advice someone’s given you?

As a bookish introvert, I have to admit that the most influential advice I have ever received has come from people I have never met in person. When mentoring early career scientists, I always tell them that "follow your dreams" is overrated and can lead to disillusionment. I prefer a paraphrase of a quote from Albert Einstein: "Strive not to be a success, but to be of value." This has guided me at times in my career that I have struggled. Another from Lao Tzu cultivates my work-life balance: "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

What is your go-to karaoke song?

Gotta go with "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding. Or, if the mood calls for it: "(What's so Funny about) Peace, Love, and Understanding?" by Elvis Costello and the Attractions.

Tell us about one of your hobbies.

I love to travel - sometimes for work, sometimes for fun - and I love outreach - sharing what I do with others. I serve as a guide for northern lights tours in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, and I will also serve as a tour guide for the 2027 total solar eclipse in Egypt.