PTYS/LPL Faculty
Kuiper 428
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Sukrit Ranjan (he/him)
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., 2017, Harvard University
Years with LPL: 2022-present
Astrobiology, Earth, Early Earth, Exoplanets; Planetary Formation and Evolution, Origin of Life, Planetary Atmospheres, Photochemistry, Theoretical Astrophysics
I am a theorist and modeler focused on questions related to the origin of life on Earth and the search for life on other worlds. These questions are coupled: efforts to understand the origin of life on Earth helps guide our search for it elsewhere in the cosmos, while observations of other planets help us test our theories of the prebiotic environment and of abiogenesis. To understand abiogenesis, I work to constraining the palette of environmental conditions from which life arose on Earth, to constrain and guide experimental studies of the origin of life. To search for life elsewhere, I work to determine observational tests by which life on other worlds may be remotely discriminated. In collaboration with my experimental colleagues, I work to obtain the critical measurements of fundamental physico-chemical parameters required to build robust models in support of both goals.
I completed my PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics at Harvard University, followed by a SCOL postdoctoral fellowship at MIT EAPS and a CIERA postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern. I completed my undergraduate work at MIT, where I majored in physics and minored in astronomy and history.
Current Grants
- NASA Exoplanets Research Program, “Experimental Constraints for Improving Terrestrial Exoplanet Pho-
tochemical Models (ExCITE-PM)”, Science PI, 2021 - HST Guest Observer Program, “Chromosopheric and Coronal Activity in the Lowest-Mass Stars”, Co-I, 2020
Based on Google Scholar and NASA ADS: NASA ADS Author search: Sukrit Ranjan
Recent refereed publications (NASA ADS): Years 2019 through June 2022
Jingcheng Huang, Sara Seager, Janusz J. Petkowski, Zhuchang Zhan, Sukrit Ranjan 2022, The Astrophysical Journal. Methanol—A Poor Biosignature Gas in Exoplanet Atmospheres
Greaves, Jane S., Rimmer, Paul B., Richards, Anita M. S., Petkowski, Janusz J., Bains, William, Ranjan, Sukrit, Seager, Sara, Clements, David L. Silva, Clara Sousa, Fraser, Helen J. 2022, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Low levels of sulphur dioxide contamination of Venusian phosphine spectra
Zhan, Zhuchang, Huang, Jingcheng, Seager, Sara, Petkowski, Janusz J., & Ranjan, Sukrit 2022, The Astrophysical Journal. Organic Carbonyls Are Poor Biosignature Gases in Exoplanet Atmospheres but May Generate Significant CO
Ranjan, Sukrit, Seager, Sara, Zhan, Zhuchang, Koll, Daniel D. B., Bains, William, Petkowski, Janusz J., Huang, Jingcheng, & Lin, Zifan 2022, The Astrophysical Journal. Photochemical Runaway in Exoplanet Atmospheres: Implications for Biosignatures
Glidden, Ana, Seager, Sara, Huang, Jingcheng, Petkowski, Janusz J., & Ranjan, Sukrit 2022, The Astrophysical Journal. Can Carbon Fractionation Provide Evidence for Aerial Biospheres in the Atmospheres of Temperate Sub-Neptunes?
Ranjan, Sukrit, Kufner, Corinna L., Lozano, Gabriella G., Todd, Zoe R., Haseki, Azra, & Sasselov, Dimitar D. 2022, Astrobiology. UV Transmission in Natural Waters on Prebiotic Earth
Bains, William, Shorttle, Oliver, Ranjan, Sukrit, Rimmer, Paul B., Petkowski, Janusz J., Greaves, Jane S., & Seager, Sara 2022, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Only extraordinary volcanism can explain the presence of parts per billion phosphine on Venus
Huang, Jingcheng, Seager, Sara, Petkowski, Janusz J., Ranjan, Sukrit, & Zhan, Zhuchang 2022, Astrobiology. Assessment of Ammonia as a Biosignature Gas in Exoplanet Atmospheres
Bains, William, Shorttle, Oliver, Ranjan, Sukrit, Rimmer, Paul B., Petkowski, Janusz J., Greaves, Jane S., & Seager, Sara 2022, Universe. Constraints on the Production of Phosphine by Venusian Volcanoes
Lin, Zifan, Seager, Sara, Ranjan, Sukrit, Kozakis, Thea, & Kaltenegger, Lisa 2022, The Astrophysical Journal. H<SUB>2</SUB>-dominated Atmosphere as an Indicator of Second-generation Rocky White Dwarf Exoplanets
Suming An, Sukrit Ranjan, Kaijun Yuan, Xueming Yang, Rex T. Skodje 2021, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. The role of the three body photodissociation channel of water in the evolution of dioxygen in astrophysical applications
Bains, William, Petkowski, Janusz J., Seager, Sara, Ranjan, Sukrit, Sousa-Silva, Clara, Rimmer, Paul B., Zhan, Zhuchang, Greaves, Jane S., & Richards, Anita M. S. 2021, Astrobiology. Phosphine on Venus Cannot Be Explained by Conventional Processes
Seager, Sara, Petkowski, Janusz J., Gao, Peter, Bains, William, Bryan, Noelle C., Ranjan, Sukrit, & Greaves, Jane 2021, Astrobiology. The Venusian Lower Atmosphere Haze as a Depot for Desiccated Microbial Life: A Proposed Life Cycle for Persistence of the Venusian Aerial Biosphere
Rimmer, Paul B., Ranjan, Sukrit, & Rugheimer, Sarah 2021, Elements. Life's Origins and the Search for Life on Rocky Exoplanets
Zhan, Zhuchang, Seager, Sara, Petkowski, Janusz Jurand, Sousa-Silva, Clara, Ranjan, Sukrit, Huang, Jingcheng, & Bains, William 2021, Astrobiology. Assessment of Isoprene as a Possible Biosignature Gas in Exoplanets with Anoxic Atmospheres
Greaves, Jane S., Richards, Anita M. S., Bains, William, Rimmer, Paul B., Sagawa, Hideo, Clements, David L., Seager, Sara, Petkowski, Janusz J., Sousa-Silva, Clara, Ranjan, Sukrit, Drabek-Maunder, Emily, Fraser, Helen J., Cartwright, Annabel, Mueller-Wodarg, Ingo, Zhan, Zhuchang, Friberg, Per, Coulson, Iain, Lee, E'lisa, & Hoge, Jim 2021, Nature Astronomy. Addendum: Phosphine gas in the cloud deck of Venus
Greaves, Jane S., Richards, Anita M. S., Bains, William, Rimmer, Paul B., Sagawa, Hideo, Clements, David L., Seager, Sara, Petkowski, Janusz J., Sousa-Silva, Clara, Ranjan, Sukrit, Drabek-Maunder, Emily, Fraser, Helen J., Cartwright, Annabel, Mueller-Wodarg, Ingo, Zhan, Zhuchang, Friberg, Per, Coulson, Iain, Lee, E'lisa, & Hoge, Jim 2021, Nature Astronomy. Phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus
Greaves, Jane S., Richards, Anita M. S., Bains, William, Rimmer, Paul B., Clements, David L., Seager, Sara, Petkowski, Janusz J., Sousa-Silva, Clara, Ranjan, Sukrit, & Fraser, Helen J. 2021, Nature Astronomy. Reply to: No evidence of phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus from independent analyses
Todd, Zoe R., Fahrenbach, Albert C., Ranjan, Sukrit, Magnani, Christopher J., Szostak, Jack W., & Sasselov, Dimitar D. 2020, Astrobiology. Ultraviolet-Driven Deamination of Cytidine Ribonucleotides Under Planetary Conditions
Ranjan, Sukrit, Schwieterman, Edward W., Harman, Chester, Fateev, Alexander, Sousa-Silva, Clara, Seager, Sara, & Hu, Renyu 2020, The Astrophysical Journal. Photochemistry of Anoxic Abiotic Habitable Planet Atmospheres: Impact of New H<SUB>2</SUB>O Cross Sections
Sousa-Silva, Clara, Seager, Sara, Ranjan, Sukrit, Petkowski, Janusz Jurand, Zhan, Zhuchang, Hu, Renyu, & Bains, William 2020, Astrobiology. Phosphine as a Biosignature Gas in Exoplanet Atmospheres
Günther, Maximilian N., Zhan, Zhuchang, Seager, Sara, Rimmer, Paul B., Ranjan, Sukrit, Stassun, Keivan G., Oelkers, Ryan J., Daylan, Tansu, Newton, Elisabeth, Kristiansen, Martti H., Olah, Katalin, Gillen, Edward, Rappaport, Saul, Ricker, George R., Vanderspek, Roland K., Latham, David W., Winn, Joshua N., Jenkins, Jon M., Glidden, Ana, Fausnaugh, Michael, Levine, Alan M., Dittmann, Jason A., Quinn, Samuel N., Krishnamurthy, Akshata, & Ting, Eric B. 2020, The Astronomical Journal. Stellar Flares from the First TESS Data Release: Exploring a New Sample of M Dwarfs
Ranjan, Sukrit, Todd, Zoe R., Rimmer, Paul B., Sasselov, Dimitar D., & Babbin, Andrew R. 2019, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. Nitrogen Oxide Concentrations in Natural Waters on Early Earth
Ranjan, Sukrit, Todd, Zoe R., Sutherland, John D., & Sasselov, Dimitar D. 2018, Astrobiology. Sulfidic Anion Concentrations on Early Earth for Surficial Origins-of-Life Chemistry
Ranjan, Sukrit, Wordsworth, Robin, & Sasselov, Dimitar D. 2017, Astrobiology. Atmospheric Constraints on the Surface UV Environment of Mars at 3.9 Ga Relevant to Prebiotic Chemistry
Ranjan, Sukrit, Wordsworth, Robin, & Sasselov, Dimitar D. 2017, The Astrophysical Journal. The Surface UV Environment on Planets Orbiting M Dwarfs: Implications for Prebiotic Chemistry and the Need for Experimental Follow-up
Ranjan, Sukrit & Sasselov, Dimitar D. 2017, Astrobiology. Constraints on the Early Terrestrial Surface UV Environment Relevant to Prebiotic Chemistry
Ranjan, Sukrit 2017, Ph.D. Thesis. The UV environment for prebiotic chemistry
| Available files | Size | Created |
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 ranjan_cv_v14.pdf | 134.65 KB | September 20, 2022 |
- LPL Evening Lecture on November 16, 2022 - Life As a Planetary Phenomenon