Faculty

Dr. Suhail Aldhurais

Assistant Professor

 

Brief research interests

Computational and theoretical space plasma physics, emphasizing near-Earth environments, stochastic processes, time-series and correlation analysis, and quantitative modeling, with interests in planetary magnetospheres and spacecraft mission data analysis. 


Research Areas

Space Plasma and Magnetospheric Physics, Radiation Belt Physics, Wave–Particle Interactions, Ultra Low-Frequency (ULF) Waves, Computational and Theoretical Physics, Stochastic Processes and Dynamical Systems, Time-Series Analysis, Quantitative Modeling.

Scientific Engagement

Office: 6/148
Tel: 966-13-860-1608
 Email: suhail.aldhurais@kfupm.edu.sa
 Website: NA

Affiliated Center(s):

Interdisciplinary Research Center for Aviation and Space Exploration

 

Research Interests

Dr. Suhail’s PhD research focused on understanding and simulating wave–particle interactions (e.g., those driven by ultra low-frequency and chorus waves) in a near-Earth space environment known as the Van Allen radiation belts. His work included a theoretical component in addition to sampling simulation results along spacecraft trajectories (RBSP). A major portion of his work focused on understanding the limits of quasilinear radial diffusion theory, which included both wave analysis techniques and quantitative modeling. 


Wave Perspective: He investigated stochastic electrostatic and electromagnetic wave–particle interactions and developed numerical models and time-series and spectral analysis techniques (e.g., autocorrelations, cross-correlations, and power spectral density analysis) to analyze the waves and understand their properties. 

Electron Perspective: He also looked at how electrons behave under the influence of these waves and studied their ensemble behavior. Because these interactions involved many parameters, he used several tools to understand the system, such as Poincaré maps, individual electron trajectories, and variance-versus-time plots (from which diffusion coefficients were calculated). 

Biographical Sketch 

B.S. (2020): Dr. Suhail Aldhurais received his B.S. degree in Physics from KFUPM (2020), along with a minor in Mathematics. He participated in the Student Exchange Program at the University of Notre Dame (2018), completed two summer research internships at KAUST (2018 & 2019), and participated in the Students Mentorship Program at the Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology (CENT) at KFUPM (September – December 2017).

Driven by a longstanding passion for teaching and supporting fellow students, he participated in the Peer Assistance Program, where he taught Calculus II and received three certificates of participation (September 2016 – January 2017, February – June 2017, & September 2017 – Jan 2018). 

Graduate Assistant (2020-2021): Following his B.S., he joined the Physics Department at KFUPM (2020-2021), where he taught physics recitation classes and laboratory sessions and volunteered as a teaching assistant in upper-level physics courses (EM I and QM I).

M.S. + Ph.D. (2022-2026): Dr. Suhail was awarded a fully funded scholarship from Rice University (Houston, TX, U.S.) to pursue his graduate studies in Applied Physics (affiliated with the Department of Physics & Astronomy). He received his M.S. degree in 2024 and his Ph.D. in 2026. Following the completion of his graduate studies, he returned to KFUPM as an assistant professor. 


AWARDS & HONORS

- 2024: Recipient of the Student Travel Award from the Applied Physics Program (supported by donations from the Robertson-Finley Foundation).
- 2021: Recipient of a fully funded scholarship from Rice University.
- 2019, 2017, 2016 (twice), & 2015: Recipient of multiple honor distinctions at KFUPM.
- 2018: A winner of the Saudi Summer Internship (SSI) Poster Competition at KAUST. 
- 2018 & 2017: Three certificates of participation in the Peer Assistance Program from the Student Success Center at KFUPM (September 2017 – January 2018, February 2017 – June 2017, and September 2016 – January 2017).

- 2016: A winner of the Integration Contest at KFUPM.

KEY PUBLICATIONS 

(Google Scholar: ‪https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=i2CwuWMAAAAJ&hl=en )

Aldhurais, S. A., Chan, A. A., Elkington, S. R., & Albert, J. M. (2026). Radial diffusion by single-mode ultra low-frequency wave-particle interactions in the radiation belts. Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, in press.
Frontiers | Radial Diffusion by Single-Mode Ultra Low-Frequency Wave-Particle Interactions in the Radiation Belts

- Chan, A. A., Elkington, S. R., Longley, W. J., Aldhurais, S. A., Alam, S. S., Albert, J. M., Jaynes, A. N., Malaspina, D. M., Ma, Q., & Li, W. (2023). Simulation of radiation belt wave–particle interactions in an MHD-particle framework. Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2023.1239160.




Dr. Suhail Aldhurais Assistant Professor 06/148 966-13-860-1608 suhail.aldhurais@kfupm.edu.sa