Halekas' research seeks to broaden our understanding of the impact of the Sun and the solar wind on our solar system and its evolution. To accomplish this, I design and build instruments to measure charged particles and analyze space plasma data around moons and planets and in the interplanetary medium.

Kletzing joined the UI faculty in 1996, has focused much of his research on using rockets and satellites to learn about Earth’s auroras. In June 2019, NASA and the UI announced that a team of scientists led by Kletzing earned a $115 million NASA contract—the largest research award in the UI’s history—to study the connection between Earth and the sun’s magnetic fields. Kletzing also has been recognized as a skilled classroom teacher.