Victor Pinto

Space physics · Space weather

Victor A. Pinto Abarzúa

Assistant Professor, Department of Physics
Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH)
Associate Chair for Teaching (since August 2025)

I am a space physicist. I study how the solar wind controls Earth's radiation belts and build machine learning models to forecast space weather and its effects on the ground. At USACH I teach electromagnetism and heliospheric physics, and I co-lead the HelioUSACH group with Prof. Marina Stepanova.

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Research

What I work on

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I study how the solar wind controls the dynamics of Earth's radiation belts: when and why relativistic electrons are accelerated, transported or lost. I combine satellite data (Van Allen Probes, THEMIS, GOES) and ground magnetometers with machine learning models to forecast geomagnetic perturbations and geomagnetically induced currents (GIC).

  • Radiation belts and relativistic electrons
  • ULF waves and magnetospheric turbulence
  • Machine learning for space weather
  • Solar wind–magnetosphere coupling

Projects I lead

  • Principal investigator

    FONDECYT Initiation grant · ANID · 2025–2028

    ULF waves and trapped particles in the radiation belts

  • Principal investigator

    FONDEF IDEA I+D · ANID · 2025–2027

    Pilot space weather platform for Chile

    Principal investigator for USACH; led by Universidad Adventista de Chile

  • Director

    FONDEQUIP · ANID · 2023–

    High-performance computing (HPC) platform, Department of Physics

All my projects

Publications

Selected publications

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  1. 2025

    Radial evolution of ultrarelativistic electrons during enhancement events

    Pinto, V.A., Espitia, Y., Zenteno-Quinteros, B., Stepanova, M.V., Moya, P.S.

    Physica Scripta, 100(11)

  2. 2022

    Revisiting the Ground Magnetic Field Perturbations Challenge: A Machine Learning Perspective

    Pinto, V.A., Keesee, A.M., Coughlan, M., Mukundan, R., Johnson, J.W., et al

    Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, 9, 869740

  3. 2021

    Geomagnetic storm occurrence and their relation with solar cycle phases

    Reyes, P.I., Pinto, V.A., Moya, P.S.

    Space Weather, 19, e2021SW002766

  4. 2020

    Radial response of outer radiation belt relativistic electrons during enhancement events at geostationary orbit

    Pinto, V.A., Bortnik, J., Moya, P.S., Lyons, L.R., Sibeck, D.G., et al

    JGR: Space Physics, 125, e2019JA027660

  5. 2019

    Decay of ultrarelativistic remnant belt electrons through scattering by plasmaspheric hiss

    Pinto, V.A., Mourenas, D., Bortnik, J., Zhang, X.-J., Artemyev, A.V., et al

    JGR: Space Physics, 124

  6. 2018

    Characteristics, occurrence, and decay rates of remnant belts associated with three-belt events in the Earth's radiation belts

    Pinto, V.A., Bortnik, J., Moya, P.S., Lyons, L.R., Sibeck, D.G., et al

    Geophysical Research Letters, 45, 12099-12107

Talks

Invited talks

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  • Aug 2026

    GSST/CBERS-5 SolarAI Symposium on Machine Learning in Heliophysics and Space Weather

    INPE, Brazil

  • Nov 2022

    Predicting GICs using machine learning

    Physics Department Colloquium, USACH · Santiago, Chile

  • Nov 2022

    The Earth's radiation belts

    International Space Science School (ISSS) · INPE, Brazil

  • Dec 2020

    Recent results on the understanding of Earth's double outer radiation belt events and remnant belt confinement

    AGU Fall Meeting · Virtual

Teaching

Courses and theses

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This semester (2026-2)

  • Electromagnetism · Undergraduate
  • Advanced Laboratory · Undergraduate

Thesis supervision

I advise and co-advise undergraduate theses (Physics Engineering, Astrophysics Engineering) and master's theses (USACH and Universidad de Chile), and sponsor postdoctoral researchers. Students and postdocs are listed on the HelioUSACH team page.

Service

Professional service

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  • 2024–2027

    Associate Editor, Space Weather (AGU/Wiley)

    Appointed November 2024.

  • 2021–2026

    NASA review panels

    Heliophysics Supporting Research (2021), HGIO (2023), Living With a Star (2024), Space Weather R2O2R (2025–2026).

  • 2019–

    Journal referee

    Space Weather, JGR Space Physics, JGR Machine Learning and Computation, GRL, JSWSC, JASTP, Nature Communications, Radio Science, Annales Geophysicae, Universe, PLOS One, among others.

  • 2025–

    Associate Chair for Teaching, Department of Physics, USACH

Media

Recent appearances

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  • Apr 2026

    Artemis II launch and lunar trajectory

    Canal 13

  • Dec 2025

    Launch of Chile's first space weather platform (FONDEF)

    Diario Usach, Cooperativa Ciencia, Crónica Digital, Mundo en Línea, Tu Opinas

  • Nov 2025

    Purple-toned southern auroras seen in southern Chile

    Radio Bío-Bío (entrevista), BioBioChile, El Mercurio, Diario Usach, Diario Chiloé, Diario de Puerto Montt, Diario Palena, Página 7, Media Banco

  • Oct 2025

    Weakening of Earth's magnetic field over the South Atlantic

    Mega

Contact

Get in touch

Department of Physics, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Estación Central, Santiago, Chile

Press
For interviews on space weather, auroras or space exploration, please email me.
Students
Interested in a thesis in heliophysics? See the group's open call.