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Official Job Title
Assistant Professor
Email Address
Office Building
VL
Office Room Number
509
Technical Interest Group(s)
Biography

Bharat Kunduri received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2013, and worked in the industry as a data scientist until October 2016. From November 2016 until July 2026, Dr. Kunduri worked as a research faculty at Virginia Tech.

In Fall 2026, he joined the faculty in the School of ECE. His research focuses on HF radio wave propagation, magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupling, and the integration of machine learning algorithms to space science. Dr. Kunduri has led numerous research projects as a Principal Investigator on grants supported by the NSF, NASA, and the Aerospace Corporation. Beyond his primary research, he is an Associate Editor for the Space Weather journal and regularly teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in radar engineering, remote sensing and electromagnetics.

Education
  • Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), 2013
Research Interests

High Frequency Radars, Ionospheric Electrodynamics, Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere Coupling

Teaching Interests

Radar Engineering, Electromagnetics, Remote Sensing, Space Weather

Distinctions & Awards

Associate Editor, Space Weather

Publications
  • Kunduri, B. S. R., Baker, J. B. H., Ruohoniemi, J. M., St. Maurice, J.-P., Nishimura, Y., Erickson, P. J., et al. (2025). Unusual SuperDARN backscatter during the 11 May 2024 geomagnetic storm. Space Weather, 23, e2025SW004701. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025SW004701
  • Kunduri, B. S. R., Baker, J. B. H., Ruohoniemi, J. M., Thomas, E. G., Huba, J. D., Emmons, D. J., et al. (2024). HF radar observations and modeling of the impact of the 8 April 2024 total solar eclipse on the ionosphere-thermosphere system. Geophysical Research Letters, 51, e2024GL112484. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL112484
  • Kunduri, B. S. R., Erickson, P. J., Baker, J. B. H., Ruohoniemi, J. M., Galkin, I. A., & Sterne, K. T. (2023). Dynamics of mid-latitude sporadic-E and its impact on HF propagation in the North American sector. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 128, e2023JA031455. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JA031455
  • Kelley, I. J., Kunduri, B. S. R., Baker, J. B. H., Ruohoniemi, J. M., & Shepherd, S. G. (2023). Storm time electrified MSTIDs observed over mid-latitude North America. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 128, e2022JA031115. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JA031115
  • Maimaiti, M., Kunduri, B., Ruohoniemi, J. M., Baker, J. B. H., & House, L. L. (2019). A deep learning-based approach to forecast the onset of magnetic substorms. Space WeatherSpace Weather, 17, 1534–1552. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019SW002251