Water on Mars
Thermodynamics, evaporation and sublimation rates, regolith interactions, geochemistry, brines, biological implications, data analysis.
Research
Research Areas
Astrobiology
Methanogens, microorganisms in the domain Archaea, models for life on Mars and Enceladus, sulfate-reducing bacteria.
Ices and Lakes on Titan
Evaporation rates of liquid methane and methane/ethane mixtures, particulate effects, tholins, freezing of hydrocarbons.
Atmosphere/Surface Interactions on Venus
Condensation of volatile atmospheric metallic compounds on planetary uplands.
Ices on Pluto
Infrared analysis and identification of candidate Pluto surface ices.
Planetary Geomorphology
Application of experimental and remote sensing methodologies to investigation of slope processes on Mars and Titan.
Galactic and Extragalactic Astronomy
Galaxy evolution, active galactic nuclei, effect of supermassive black holes on galaxy structure, spiral arm analysis, dwarf galaxies.
Extreme-temperature Electronics
Development of electronic components and systems capable of operating at extremely high and low temperatures, uncooled electronics for application to Venus surface landers.
Small Spacecraft Development and Operations
Cubesat propulsion and attitude control, formation flight, inflatables, communications, mission concepts. Remote sensing: Multi-sensor integration, GIS workflows, InSAR, digital image processing, geocomputation.
Meteorite and Impactite Analysis
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer analysis of meteorite and impactite samples.