I investigate the complex interactions between the solar wind and outer planet magnetic fields using sophisticated computer simulations. Planetary magnetospheres exhibit a wide variety of phenomena, thus functioning as natural laboratories in which we can investigate the behavior of magnetized plasma under different conditions. Understanding magnetospheric conditions is also vital to planning spacecraft missions, as high energy plasmas can pose a substantial radiation hazard. My thesis research focuses on understanding the global implications of the production and transport of new plasma in Saturn's magnetosphere. The presence of the Cassini spacecraft in orbit around Saturn provides us with valuable data with which to validate our results and develop our numerical tools.

Ashok completed his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Cornell University in 2006 and his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech in 2011.