Research Profile:
Dr McKinnell is an
Ionospheric Research Physicist for the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory
(HMO) and Research Associate of Rhodes University.
She has been actively involved in ionospheric research in South
Africa since 1994. Previously, she was based within the Hermann
Ohlthaver Institute for Aeronomy (HOIA) at Rhodes University, during
which time she obtained her PhD degree in ionospheric research,
specialising in the modelling of the South African ionosphere. Her PhD
thesis was on the development of a South African bottomside ionospheric
model using neural networks.
Dr McKinnell manages the Grahamstown ionosonde, as well as the
archiving and quality assurance for the South African ionospheric data.
Her interest lies in the use of this data for the improvement and
development of ionospheric models both locally in South Africa and
globally.
She has presented ionospheric related papers at many conferences,
both internationally and locally, and in 2003 spent her post doc year,
as a fellow of the Austrian Science Fund, working at the Graz
University of Technology in Austria developing an ionospheric model for
the auroral zone using neural networks. She is a member of the
International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) working group and Vice-Chair
of the Ionosonde Network Advisory Group (INAG).
She has published a number of peer reviewed papers, refereed several
and in 2004 acted as guest editor on a special issue of the journal
Advances in Space Research, which contained selected papers from the
IRI 2003 workshop held in Grahamstown in October 2003.
Selected Publications:
- Poole A.W.V. and McKinnell L.A., "On the predictability of foF2 using neural networks", Radio Science, 35, 225-234, 2000.
- McKinnell L.A. and Poole A.W.V., "Ionospheric variability and electron density profile studies with neural networks", Advances in Space Research, 27, 1, 83-90, 2001.
- McKinnell L.A., A neural network based ionospheric model for the bottomside electron density profile over Grahamstown, South Africa, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Rhodes University, 2002.
- McKinnell L.A. and Poole A.W.V., "A neural network based electron density model for the E Region", Advances in Space Research, 31, 3, 589-595, 2003.
- McKinnell L.A. and Poole A.W.V., "Predicting the ionospheric F layer using neural networks", Journal of Geophysical Research, 109, A08308, doi: 10.1029/2004JA010445, 2004.
- McKinnell L.A., Friedrich M. and Steiner R.J., "A new approach to modelling the daytime lower ionosphere", Advances in Space Research, 34(9), pp. 1943-1948, 2004.
- McKinnell L.A. and Poole A.W.V., "Neural network based ionospheric modelling over the South African region", South African Journal of Science, 100, pp. 519-523, 2004.