Dr. Wiltberger currently serves as Interim Director in the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) at NSF/NCAR. His main area of research is the modeling of the magnetosphere and its interaction with the solar wind and coupled thermosphere-ionosphere system. His work includes the development of new models, analysis of model results, and dissemination of research findings, with a focus on understanding the fundamental physical processes involved in magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.
From 2017–2021, he completed a successful rotation at the National Science Foundation as head of the Geospace Section. He has served as a member of the White House Space Weather Advisory Group (SWAG) and was part of the Space Weather Panel for the 2024 Solar and Space Physics Decadal Survey.
Dr. Wiltberger has also contributed as chair of the GEM Steering Committee, vice-chair of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Science and Technology Committee (STAC) on Space Weather, and as Vice Chair of the Solar Wind–Magnetosphere Interactions Panel of the 2010 NRC Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics.
Dr. Wiltberger earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, in 1993, and his PhD. in space plasma physics in 1998 from the University of Maryland, College Park. Amongst his many scientific accomplishments are pioneering work on the inclusion of ionospheric outflow and the application of advanced statistical analysis in global models and ground-breaking results proving the connection between localized reconnection and, so-called, Bursty Bulk Flows in high-resolution simulations of the magnetotail. He is the author or co-author of more than 173 refereed publications and has delivered over 125 invited presentations at scientific conferences.