She began her professional research career in 1974 as a member of technical staff in the Particles and Fields Department at the Space Sciences Laboratory in the Aerospace Corporation, California.
Luhmann's work focuses on the use of spacecraft observations and models to investigate solar wind interactions with the planets and the connections between the Sun and heliospheric conditions.
[5] She is the principal investigator (PI) for the In-situ Measurements of Particles and CME Transients (IMPACT) instrument suite on the twin-spacecraft STEREO mission.
[12] Also in 2012, Luhmann gave the American Geophysical Union's Eugene Parker Lecture, which is presented two out of every three years to a space scientist who has made significant contributions to the fields of solar and heliospheric science.
[13] 2007: Awarded the John Adam Fleming medal of the American Geophysical Union for original research and technical leadership in geomagnetism, atmospheric electricity, aeronomy, space physics, and related sciences.