Focus on Alumni

Jonathan Fortney Garners Simons Investigator in Astrophysics Award

June 29, 2021

The $500,000 award from the Simons Foundation will support Fortney’s research on planetary atmospheres

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Still Taking Giant Leaps From Lunar Small Steps: Purdue Scientists Analyze Moon Dust Collected By Apollo 17 Astronauts

June 28, 2021

Michelle Thompson is one of the new generation of scientists working on the Apollo moon missions.

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The Vatican's Space Observatory Wants To See Stars And Faith Align

June 6, 2021

At a time of growing diffidence toward some new scientific discoveries, the one and only Vatican institution that does scientific research, the Vatican Observatory, recently launched a campaign to promote dialogue between faith and science. LPL Alumnus, Bro. Guy J. Consolmango, is the Director.

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Ice Frozen Under Mars’ Surface Offers Major Resource to Aid Future Settlements

March 1, 2021

Dr. Ali Bramson examines factors involving future habitats on Mars. Bramson is co-author on a Nature Astronomy (Feb. 2021) paper about subsurface ice on the red planet.

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The Diaries of Space Explorers - Dr. Cecilia Leung

Feb. 15, 2021

LPL alumna Dr. Cecilia Leung is a planetary scientist specializing in the present-day water cycle on Mars. Her research combines the use of 3D numerical atmospheric models and spacecraft observations to study seasonal changes in the Martian weather and climate. Her work also supports the Entry-Descent-and-Landing (EDL) of recent Mars Missions such as the InSight Mars Lander and the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover.

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The Diaries of Space Explorers - Dr. Ali Bramson

Feb. 15, 2021

Dr. Ali Bramson's research uses NASA spacecraft mission data to learn about the geology of other planets in our Solar System, and her work on Martian ice is helping to shape the future of human exploration of Mars.

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Researcher Spotlight: Devin Schrader

Jan. 1, 2021

Dr. Devin Schrader studies primitive meteorites that have remained relatively unaltered since they formed in the early Solar System ~4.5 billion years ago. He also works on samples returned from asteroids, including those returned from asteroid Itokawa by the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), and is a collaborator on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission.

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Asteroid Explorer Collects First Samples Thought To Be Rich in Organic Compounds; A Purdue Scientist Will Be Among the First to Study

Dec. 16, 2020

Michelle Thompson holds a sample of a carbonaceous meteorite which may have similarities to material returned by the Hayabusa2 mission.

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Jupiter's Moons Could be Warming Each Other

Sept. 10, 2020

LPL alumnus Hamish Hay is lead author of a study that found that moon-moon interactions may be more responsible for the heating than Jupiter alone. 

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The four largest moons of Jupiter in order of distance from Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto

Postdoc Success Stories: Drs. Ali Bramson and Michael Sori will be Assistant Professors at Purdue University!

Aug. 17, 2020

Dr. Michael Sori (Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Dr. Ali Bramson (Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona) are Postdoctoral Scholars in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) at the University of Arizona. Both have recently accepted positions as Assistant Professors in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) at Purdue University.

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Dr. Michael Sori and Ali Bramson, Postdoctoral Scholars in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the