Dr. Ritesh Patel is a Research Scientist in the Solar System Science and Exploration Division at Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, where he has been working since 2022 following a postdoctoral appointment at the same institute. His research focuses on the solar corona and heliosphere, with particular emphasis on polarization in the white-light corona, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and magnetic reconnection, combining observations, instrumentation, and advanced image-processing techniques to investigate eruptive solar phenomena and their evolution across scales. He received his Ph.D. in Applied Optics and Photonics from the University of Calcutta, where his work centered on characterizing solar eruptions in the inner corona using ground- and space-based data, and holds an M.Tech. in Astronomical Instrumentation, during which he developed automated CME detection methods and contributed to instrumentation efforts for the Aditya-L1 mission. His work integrates multi-instrument datasets, including coronagraph and heliospheric imager observations, and includes contributions to polarization-based diagnostics, three-dimensional reconstruction techniques, and automated analysis pipelines; his recent publications span topics such as in situ signatures of reconnection, projection effects in CMEs, and high-resolution observations of reconnection-driven nanojets. He has participated in multiple international collaborations and space science programs, including NASA ROSES-funded Solar Orbiter Guest Investigator projects and European-led research visits, and has been recognized with awards and fellowships supporting collaborative research at institutions such as the Royal Observatory of Belgium, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and University College London