Mike Sori joined LPL in September 2014, working as a post-doctoral research associate on viscous flow modeling with Dr. Shane Byrne and Dr. Christopher Hamilton. His current research focuses on two specific areas. The first is quantifying the importance of ice flow in the evolution of topography at the poles of Mars, with a particular focus on steep scarps of ice. The second is a comparison of lava flow behavior between Earth and Mars, with a focus on quantifying stresses and predicting fracture locations. His planned future work at LPL will include extensions of these themes in addition to research on mountain-building on Io and ice on Umbriel.

Mike is from Cooper City, Florida. He studied at Duke University, where he earned a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.A. in Physics (2008). Mike earned his Ph.D. in 2014 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a thesis focused on (1) gravity-based studies of topics in lunar geophysics including volcanism, isostasy, and impact cratering and (2) the development of techniques to analyze stratigraphy in the martian polar layered deposits. In theory, his free time is spent traveling, playing frisbee, and watching Duke win national championships, though in practice it is almost entirely spent with his puppy, Apollo.