(*) Summary: The Seminar about "Ionospheric Physics and Space Weather Research in Cuba", will be divided in 3 topics. The first topic will be devoted to the presentation of the Institute of Geophysics and Astronomy, its internal scientific administrative structure, facilities, technological equipments and the first steps and evolution of the ionospheric research in Cuba since 1964 until now. The second topic will be devoted to a brief introductory tutorial on ionospheric physics and space weather, where we will talk about the general knowledge on this subject. The third topic will be devoted to our work in this field of research for the last 10 years until now. Here we will talk about our results in ionospheric modeling using spherical harmonics, our studies and modest contributions to the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) about ionospheric variabilities in the region and some events analyzed related with space weather for our local conditions in the Caribbean Area and in the American Sector.

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(**) Biodata: Dr Alexander Calzadilla Mendez was born in Havana City, Cuba, in February 18,1969. He is married and has two daughters. Dr. Calzadilla Mendez graduated in 1994 obtaining a B.Sc. in the Physics Faculty of Havana University, with a Thesis on "The Use of Organic Molecules in Non Linear Optics". He started to work in the Space Geophysics Department in the Institute of Geophysics and Astronomy in September 1994 under the supervision of Dr. Bienvenido Lazo Olazabal, who had obtained a Ph.D. in Physical and Mathematical Sciences in IZMIRAM at the former Soviet Union. Since 1994, Dr. Calzadilla Mendez has been involved as a Junior Researcher in several Research Projects in the topics of Geomagnetism and Ionospheric Physics, as part of the staff of the Department. Since 1998 until now, Dr. Calzadilla Mendez has made several visits to the Abdus Salam ICTP, working at the Aeronomy and Radiopropagation Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Sandro Radicella. He began studying for his Ph.D. at the Institute of Geophysics and Astronomy, obtainig a Ph.D. in Geophysics (Space Geophysics) in 2006. His thesis was: "Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere dynamical system: Principal Interactions". This work approaches three important aspects of the interaction in the dynamical system of the Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere . The first chapter of this thesis was devoted to using non-linear dynamics for the study of the magnetospheric plasma behavior under the influence of solar wind. The second chapter presents the results of ionospheric modeling, using the mathematical methods of spherical harmonics to interpolate several ionospheric characteristics conditioned by the solar activity: R12 index, season and local time. These are contributions to the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) in the Caribbean region, northern Africa and Oceania. We also elaborate ionospheric models that are of practical importance for communication using radio waves. In the last chapter the dynamics of the ionospheric electric fields and currents was studied during geomagnetic-disturbed conditions, using methods including satellite ionospheric sounding and incoherent scatter radars for the purpose of research in space weather. Since the year 2004 Dr. Calzadilla Mendez has been one of the vice-presidents of the Cuban Physical Society (Earth and Space Physics Section). In addition, since 2007 he is Head of the Space Geophysics Department working as a leader in its scientific projects.