People
The faculty, staff and graduate students of NAU’s Department Astronomy & Planetary Science
From current, adjunct, and emeritus faculty to staff and graduate students, find out more about their backgrounds and career highlights.
Faculty Accordion Closed
Dr Burr’s primary interest are the landforms that result from fluid flow. Fluid flow includes flow by water that formed ancient rivers deposits on Mars, as well as flow in current rivers of liquid nitrogen on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. Dr Burr also studies the deposits formed by the flow of air, or wind, on Mars and Titan. In addition, Dr. Burr studies lava flows on Mars and the tectonic landforms on icy satellites of the outer Solar System.
Dr. Chien is devoted to teaching astronomy, astrophysics, and indigenous astronomy at all levels. She enjoys learning new effective teaching methods and implementing them into her learner-centered classes. Dr. Chien is also a strong supporter of women and diversity in the STEM field. Her research focuses on starbursts, star formation history, and dynamics of interacting and merging galaxies, through the use of spectroscopy and imaging of newly-formed clusters, as well as simulations of galaxy interactions.
Christopher Edwards
Dr. Edwards is a planetary geologist and instrument developer. His research focuses on constraining early solar system processes by using the composition, physical properties and processes, and morphology of planetary surfaces. He is a participating scientist on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover, and has works actively with numerous other NASA Mars missions including the 2001 Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System, Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars.
Dr. Emery applies the techniques of astronomical reflection and emission spectroscopy and spectrophotometry of primitive and icy bodies in the near- (0.8 to 5.0 microns) and mid-infrared (5 to 50 microns) to investigate the formation and evolution of the Solar System and the distribution of organic material. The Jupiter Trojan asteroids have been a strong focus of his research, and he also regularly observes Kuiper Belt objects, icy satellites, and other asteroid groups to understand the state of their surfaces as related to these topics. Along with telescopic observations, he contributes to Solar System exploration as a science team member on the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, the Lucy Trojan asteroid flyby mission, and the NEO Surveyor Mission infrared telescope mission.
Dr. Loeffler uses laboratory experiments to simulate processes that occur in extraterrestrial environments. These studies typically focus on how radiation and thermal processes can alter the physical and chemical properties of the surface with the goal of trying to understand how these environments evolve over time.
Tyler Robinson
Dr. Robinson studies the atmospheres of worlds both inside and outside the Solar System. In working with a number of NASA teams, Dr. Robinson is engaged in designing future telescopes that would study exoplanets and their potential to harbor life. He is also interested in using spacecraft data to both better understand the thick atmosphere of Venus and to place Earth in the context of other rocky planets in our galaxy.
Mark Salvatore
Dr. Salvatore studies the evolution of planetary surfaces and landscapes. His research has focused primarily on Antarctica and Mars, where cold and dry conditions dominate the surface and result in unique geologic processes. His work uses a combination of satellite image analyses, laboratory analyses, and field work. Dr. Salvatore is also a member of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover team.
Dr. Tegler uses ground-based telescopes to study the physical and chemical properties of Kuiper belt objects at the edge of the Solar System. In addition, he conducts laboratory experiments to study the physical and chemical properties of ices important to understanding processes on the surfaces of outer Solar System objects. The overarching goal of Dr. Tegler’s research is to better understand the origin and evolution of the Solar System.
Dr. Thomas uses ground and space-based telescopes to study near-Earth, Main Belt, and Trojan asteroids. Her research focuses on using spectroscopy to study the composition and physical properties of the surfaces of asteroids. She is also performs observations in support of spacecraft missions and works with the science team for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.
Dr. Trilling studies the small bodies in our Solar System to understand how our planetary system formed and evolved. He uses telescopes all over the world and in space, as well as archival data and, soon, data from LSST.
Dr. Trujillo searches for new dwarf planets and minor planets on the outer edge of our solar system. He has been involved in the discovery and characterization of Kuiper Belt Objects, Centaurs, Comets and Active Asteroids including seven of the ten largest dwarf planets in our solar system. He is very interested in data-intensive science and is currently looking for the presence of a possible giant planet undiscovered in our own solar system.
Visiting faculty / research associates Accordion Closed
Jennifer Hanley
Dr. Hanley is a Lowell Observatory astronomer working in collaboration with the NAU Astrophysical Ice Lab to investigate the stability and spectral properties of ices at low temperatures and pressures with relevance to the outer solar system, especially Pluto and Titan. Current work includes determining spectral properties of ethane+methane+nitrogen mixtures for determining the compositions of Titan’s lakes, as well as their freezing temperatures. Other research interests include the stability of water on Mars and Europa in the presence of chlorine salts (chlorides, perchlorates and chlorates). She is currently working on new techniques to determine the distribution of chlorine salts on Mars via remote sensing, as well as using DCT to identify chlorine salts on Europa.
Alicia earned her BS in Aerospace Engineering and her MS in Forestry from Texas A&M University in 2004 and 2006. She earned her PhD in Geological Sciences from Arizona State University in 2015. Alicia’s research integrates remote sensing, field work, and laboratory measurements to better understand planetary surface processes and the role of climate in alteration processes. She is especially interested in using geochemistry and mineralogy to investigate cryosphere-bedrock interactions on Earth and Mars. Her work in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science focuses on investigating the composition and origin of weathering products at Mars analog field sites such as the Cascades Range, Oregon, USA, and the summit glaciers of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Alicia is a team member on the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) aboard NASA’s Mars Odyssey.
Nathan Smith
Postdoctoral Scholars Accordion Closed
Laura Fackrell
Planetary Science
Chris Haberle
Planetary Science
Dr. McNeill uses photometry from large surveys to study the shape and spin properties of Main Belt Asteroids and Near Earth Objects. Aside from this, his main research focus is the identification and classification of ‘extreme asteroids’, objects with unusual shapes and rotation periods. Study of these objects can be used to give insight into the composition and internal structure of asteroids and tell us more about the evolution of these populations in our Solar System.
Cong Pan
Planetary Science
Valerie is a planetary geologist with a strong interest in understanding the magmatic evolution of planetary bodies, with an emphasis on Mars. Her work crosses several disciplines including igneous petrology, geochemistry, mineralogy, and sedimentology to assess the surface and interior evolution of Mars. She uses various methods including observational rover and orbital visible/near infrared and thermal infrared data, modeling, and experimental petrology.
Arnaud Salvadore
Planetary Science
Dr. Stcherbinine is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the PIXEL Research Group. His research focuses on the water ice-related story of Mars through infrared orbital observations provided by multiple probes currently orbiting the Red Planet. More specifically, he is interested in the detection and characterization of water ice clouds in the Martian atmosphere, as well as current and past surface alteration processes, especially under polar latitudes.
Cheng Ye
Cheng Ye studies the composition and evolution of planetary surfaces. His research focuses on using spectroscopy from visible to infrared wavelengths through a combination of laboratory measurements, remote sensing observations, and numerical models to better understand the planetary surface compositions and geologic processes.
Adjunct faculty Accordion Closed
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Will Grundy, Planetary Science | Lowell Observatory | grundy@lowell.edu |
| Philip Massey, Evolution of Massive Stars | Lowell Observatory | Phil.Massey@lowell.edu |
| Maggie McAdam, Planetary Science | SOFIA Science Center | maggie.mcadam@nasa.gov |
| Lisa Prato, Young Binary Systems | Lowell Observatory | lprato@lowell.edu |
| David Schultz, Computational Astrophysics | Universities Research Association | david.schultz@nau.edu |
| Donna Weistrop, Astronomy | UNLV/NAU | weistrop@physics.unlv.edu |
Emeritus faculty Accordion Closed
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Kathy Eastwood, Ph.D., Astronomy | Kathy.Eastwood@nau.edu |
| Richard Hall, Ph.D., Photometry | Richard.Hall@nau.edu |
| David Koerner, Ph.D., Astronomy | David.Koerner@nau.edu |
| Barry Lutz, Ph.D., Laboratory Astrophysics | Barry.Lutz@nau.edu |
Graduate students Accordion Closed
Erin Aadland
Anna Baker
Lauren Biddle
Joe Llama (Lowell Observatory)
Tyler Robinson
Rebecca Carmack
Colin Orion Chandler
Oriel Humes
Natalie Jones
Andy Lopez-Oquendo
Audrey Martin
Lucas McClure
Lauren McGraw
Will Oldroyd
Lori Pigue
Shaelyn Raposa
Ryder Strauss
Cece Thieberger
Patrick Tribbett
Aaron Weintraub
James Windsor
Christopher Wolfe
Amber Young
Staff Accordion Closed
Ed Anderson
Paloma Davidson
Alix Ford
