Dr. Harald Kucharek received his Ph.D. in physics at Technische Universitaet Muenchen at the department of Theoretische Physik. He worked on nuclear mean field theory of superfluidity in nuclear matter and finite nuclei. Thereafter he joined the theory group as well as the experimental space plasma group at Max-Planck-Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik (Garching, Germany). During that time he worked on science topics covering large-scale simulations of physical processes in collisionless space plasmas and in-situ observations in both in the near-Earth region as well as in the heliosphere.

In 2001 he joined the Experimental Space Plasma group of the Space Science Center at the University of New Hampshire as a Research Scientist. In 2006 he was appointed as a research associate professor at EOS with a joint appointment at the physics department of the University of New Hampshire. He is actively involved in current spacecraft missions such as SOHO, CLUSTER, ACE, Double Star, and IBEX. His research interests are manifold including kinetic numerical simulation (MHD, hybrid, and full particle simulations) of physical processes in collisionless plasmas, in the Earth's magnetosphere, and the heliosphere. He is working on and solar wind composition and particle acceleration at the Earth's bow shock as well as at interplanetary structures such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and corotating interaction regions (CIRs). Recently he expanded his research area and he became instrument scientist of the lo-sensor on the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). Sensor design, testing, and calibration became also part of his research interest.