Sam Grant
Member
Sam Grant is a postdoctoral researcher at the Finnish Meteorological Institute based in Helsinki, Finland. His work focuses on studying space weather interactions with Mercury's magnetosphere, using the Rhybrid model to contrast against in-situ measurements and inform future observations.
Sam is also a member of the science team for BepiColombo - a two-spacecraft mission arriving at Mercury late in 2026, and has been honoured by the naming of asteroid (20656) Samuelgrant. His PhD at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL, centred on predicting and studying cometary ion tail and dust trail crossings.
On the 2027 expedition, Sam is planning to study the reflective properties of melting snow in the Arctic, in collaboration with researchers at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, to understand how contaminants affect the ability of the snow to reflect sunlight.
Sam is a regular boulderer and skier, a qualified sailor and keen hiker and wild camper. He has completed the Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award and taken part in a three-week expedition to Everest Base Camp, delivering computers to remote local schools. Sam says he's excited to explore a new extreme environment and pursue research outside his primary field.
