Faculty News

Senior Research Scientist Dr. Jozsef Kota retired from LPL this spring (2019). Dr. Kota began his career at LPL in 1996 as a Staff Scientist; however, Jozsef has been working at or with LPL since 1985 under the title of Visiting Scientist.

Dr. Kota received his Ph.D. in Physical Sciences from Roland Eötvös University (Budapest, Hungary) in 1980. His research interests include galactic and anomalous cosmic rays in the heliosphere and solar modulation and anisotropies of cosmic rays; theoretical and numerical modeling of the transport and acceleration of charged energetic particles; space weather; solar energetic particles; solar wind and modeling the evolution of shock waves; and the interaction of solar wind and interstellar matter.

Congratulations to Dr. Travis Barman, who was promoted to Full Professor, and to Dr. Lynn Carter, who has earned Tenure. Travis has been with LPL since 2013; his research interests include exoplanets and planetary formation and evolution. Lynn joined LPL in 2016; her research focus is planetary surfaces.

LPL is proud to announce that Professor Alfred McEwen has been appointed as a Regents' Professor by the Arizona Board of Regents. The title of Regents’ Professor is reserved for full professors whose exceptional achievements merit national and international distinction. Regents' Professor appointments are limited to no more than 3% of the total number of the university’s tenured and tenure track faculty members.

Professor McEwen is also the recipient of the 2019 G.K. Gilbert Award, presented by the Planetary Geology Division of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in recognition of outstanding contributions to the interdisciplinary field of planetary geology. The Gilbert Award will be presented at the GSA meeting on September 24.

Professor McEwen is the principal investigator for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE, on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. HiRISE has produced extremely-high-resolution images of the Martian surface since the launch of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2005.

McEwen has made two discoveries about the geology of Mars from his detailed analyses of HiRISE and other Martian data. First, McEwen says Martian slopes show enigmatic flows that are actively forming at the present day and may provide evidence for water on Mars. Second, McEwen has shown that the practice of counting small craters is not always a reliable indicator of the age of a planetary surface, as many small craters can be produced from the high-velocity ejecta of larger impacts.

McEwen’s work has helped change the scientific viewpoint of Mars from that of a dead planet to one with a dynamic surface, largely as a result of science done using the HiRISE camera, the construction and operations of which he has led for more than a decade.

McEwen’s accomplishments were recognized with a NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal in 2011, the American Geophysical Union Whipple Award in 2015, and designation as a UA College of Science Galileo Circle Fellow in 2015.

McEwen, a planetary geologist, has been a member of the UA faculty since 1996. He is a professor of planetary sciences at the  Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, a professor of geosciences and director of the Planetary Image Research Laboratory. In addition to HiRISE, his spacecraft involvement currently includes being co-investigator on the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, launched in 2016, co-investigator on the LROC team on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission to the moon, and deputy principle investigator of the Europa Imaging System on the Europa Clipper mission, to launch in 2022 or later. Previously, McEwen was a member of the imaging science team of the Cassini mission to Saturn, which began in 1990 and ended in 2018, among other missions.

He is also a devoted educator. McEwen designed the “Mars” course for upper-level graduates and has served as a mentor for many students at all degree levels.

Dr. Jessica Barnes joined the LPL faculty as an Assistant Professor in August (2019), after holding a position as a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Jess’ research centers on understanding the origin and evolution of volatiles in the inner Solar System. She utilizes a combination of electron microscopy and high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry to study extraterrestrial materials. Jess’ research background is in lunar mineralogy and geochemistry. Most recently she has been using coordinated electron and ion beam studies of meteorites to investigate the evolution of water in the Martian crust and to assess the inventories and origins of volatiles on primitive chondrite and achondrite parent bodies. 

Jess was born in London, grew up in Belfast, and later moved to Scotland where she graduated from the University of St. Andrews with a B.Sc. in Geosciences. She obtained her Ph.D. in Planetary and Space Sciences from The Open University (England). Her doctoral work focused on measuring water in lunar samples in order to better understand the accretion history and magmatic evolution of the Moon. As pastimes, Jess enjoys going to the gym, hiking, and travelling.

Dr. Pierre Haenecour joined LPL as an Assistant Professor in October 2019. He  grew up in Brussels (Belgium) and graduated with B.A. and M.S. degrees in Geology and Geochemistry from the Free University of Brussels. In 2011, Pierre moved to St. Louis (Missouri) for his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University, where he studied stardust grains (also referred as circumstellar ‘presolar’ grains) identified in early solar system materials, such as meteorites and micrometeorites. He then worked at LPL as a postdoctoral research associate with Dr. Tom Zega to investigate the origin of organic matter in meteorites.

His current research interests focus on the building blocks and early history of the Solar System, and the origin of life through the coordinated study of circumstellar and interstellar dust grains and organic molecules in unequiliberated planetary materials (micrometeorites and interplanetary dust particles).

Dr. Amy Mainzer, one of the world's leading scientists in asteroid detection and planetary defense, began her career at LPL this fall (2019). Dr. Mainzer was previously a senior research scientist in the Science Division at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she specialized in astrophysical instrumentation and infrared astronomy.

As principal investigator of NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission, or NEOWISE, Dr. Mainzer has overseen the largest space-based asteroid-hunting project in history, resulting in the detection and characterization of an unprecedented number of asteroids and comets, including objects that could potentially pose a hazard to Earth at some point in the future. Dr. Mainzer also is the principal investigator of the proposed NASA Near-Earth Object Camera, or NEOCam, a next generation space telescope that would use a similar scientific approach to fulfill a mandate from the U.S. Congress to discover nearly all of the space rocks that could pose a significant threat to Earth.

Dr. Mainzer holds a doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Science degree from the California Institute of Technology. She graduated with honors from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Science. Prior to joining JPL in 2003, she worked as an engineer at Lockheed Martin, where she built the fine guidance camera for NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope.

Passionate about making science accessible to all, Mainzer serves as the curriculum adviser and on-camera host for the PBS Kids series "Ready Jet Go!" – a television show aimed at teaching space and Earth science to children ages 3-8 that airs in 176 countries around the world with nearly 300 million views. Mainzer also has appeared in numerous interviews for the History Channel, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, the BBC and other networks.

In 2018, she received the NASA Exceptional Public Service medal for her work on near-Earth asteroids. Other awards include the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (2012), the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal (2011), and several NASA group achievement awards for her contributions to the Spitzer, WISE and NEOWISE missions.

Kudos to Assistant Professor Christopher Hamilton, named one of Science News magazine's 10 young scientists to watch (SN10; the only planetary scientist in the list). Christopher spends some of his time studying terrestrial volcanic areas like Iceland and Hawai’i, and then applies that knowledge to volcanoes all over the solar system.

Professor Hamilton received the Geological Society of America (GSA) Early Career Award in the Mineralogy, Geochemistry, Petrology, & Volcanology Division and was previously awarded a NASA Early Career Fellowship and a faculty fellowship from NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, which provided a stipend and a 10-week summer residency at Marshall Space Flight Center.

Kudos to Jonathan Lunine, who was awarded the International Academy of Astronautics' 2009 Basic Science Award. This award is given annually for outstanding achievement in basic science. Previous recipients include Robert Wilson, Roger Bonnet, Rashid Sunyaev, and Lennard Fisk. Information about the award is available on the International Academy of Astronautics site. Congratulations, Jonathan!

Congratulations to Professor Renu Malhotra, who has been named a 2010 College of Science Galileo Circle Fellow, one of the highest honors bestowed upon faculty in the College of Science.

These awards, established through the generosity of Galileo Circle members, recognize outstanding accomplishments in academic scholarship. Each Fellow receives $5,000 and lifetime membership in the Galileo Circle.

Galileo Circle Fellows are the epitome of the academic scholar, with a deep understanding over a broad range of science, a willingness to think in a truly interdisciplinary way, and an ability to inspire colleagues and students alike.

Dr. Malhotra's research is directed towards understanding planetary systems. Her research topics include the Kuiper Belt, the bombardment history of the planets, the formation and evolution of our solar system and other planetary systems, and the astronomical conditions for habitable planets. One of her earliest theories explained Pluto's peculiar orbit, something that had puzzled scientists since the planet's discovery. The idea of planet migration introduced in that work is now widely accepted in solar system studies. In 2001, Dr. Malhotra and her collaborators discovered what is now recognized as the edge of the primordial solar system. Dr. Malhotra also makes time to share her passion for science through numerous public outreach activities.

Marcia Neugebauer, LPL Adjunct Research Scientist, has received not one, but two prestigious awards. She is the recipient of the 2010 Arctowski Medal, a distinguished award presented by the National Academy of Sciences to honor outstanding contributions to the study of solar physics and solar-terrestrial relationships. This prestigious medal also comes with a cash prize and a designated amount of institutional research support. Dr. Neugebauer is also the recipient of the Hale Prize of the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society, awarded for outstanding contributions to the field of solar astronomy.

Marcia has been the recipient of many awards throughout her distinguished career. In 2005, Marcia was named by the AGU as recipient of the 2004 Kaula award; the AGU citation for that award reads: "Marcia Neugebauer is one of the pioneers of the Space Age. She started work at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in June 1956 and contributed directly to the first identification and studies of the solar wind using some of the first space missions. Later Marcia brought her enthusiasm, thoroughness, and broad impact to the American Geophysical Union, including working for the AGU publications program as editor-in-chief of Reviews of Geophysics and then serving as president of the AGU."

Please join us in congratulating Marcia Neugebauer on being selected as the 2010 recipient of both the National Academy of Sciences' Arctowski Medal and the AAS Solar Physics Division Hale Prize.

More information about Dr. Neugebauer and her career is available on UA News.

Congratulations, Marcia!
 

Professor Tom Gehrels was recognized for his 50 years of service at the annual University of Arizona Service Awards luncheon, held on April 13, 2011.

Professor Tom Gehrels joined the UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) in 1961 as an Associate Professor. He earned his B.S. in Physics and Astronomy from Leiden (Netherlands) University in 1951, and his Ph.D. in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of Chicago in 1956. While in Chicago, he worked with Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and Gerard P. Kuiper (who founded LPL in 1960). Dr. Gehrels' distinguished science career features many highlights. During the 1950s, Professor Gehrels pioneered the first photometric system of asteroids and discovered the opposition effect in the brightness of asteroids. In the 1960s, he pioneered wavelength dependence of polarization of stars and planets. His research interests then migrated to imaging photopolarimetry of Jupiter and Saturn, and Dr. Gehrels was named principal investigator for the Pioneer 10 and 11 Imaging Photopolarimeters, which discovered Saturn's F ring.

In 1980, Tom Gehrels founded the SPACEWATCH® Project, which uses telescopes on Kitt Peak to survey the sky for dangerous asteroids; he led the project until 1997. Professor Gehrels also founded the well known and well respected Space Science Series, still published by the University of Arizona Press. He served as general editor for the first 30 volumes of the series. At its start in the 1980s, the Space Science Series represented a new way of producing research textbooks.

In 2007, Tom Gehrels was the recipient of the Harold Masursky Award, presented by the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences in recognition of meritorious service to planetary science. Professor Gehrels' current research interest is universal evolution. Each fall, he teaches an undergraduate course for non-science majors and each spring, he presents a brief version of that course at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India, where he is a lifetime Fellow.