Current Grants

• Thermodynamic origins of refractory dust in the early solar system and ancient stars (PI; Co-Is: F. Ciesla, V. Manga, and K. Muralidharan)
• Following the Molecular History of Stellar Ejecta: Combining Observations with Laboratory Spectroscopy and Imaging (Co-I w/L. Ziurys PI)
• Earths in other solar systems: Toward forming and discovering planets with biocritical ingredients: NASA Astrobiology Institute and Nexus for Explanet System Science (Co-I w/D. Apai PI)
• Physical and chemical evolution of airless landscapes, NASA Solar Systems Workings Program (Co-I w/S. Byrne PI)
• Atomic-scale analysis of samples returned from the Hayabusa Mission and analogs of those to-be-returned by Hayabusa 2 and OSIRIS-REx, NASA Laboratory Analysis of Returned Samples Program (PI)
• Constraining asteroidal formation and alteration conditions via microstructure and elemental compositions of sulfides from returned samples, NASA Laboratory Analysis of Returned Samples Program (Co-I w/D. Schrader, PI)
• Tracing the History of Molecular Phosphorous: From Interstellar Space to Planetary Surfaces, NASA Emerging Worlds Program (Co-I w/L. Ziurys PI)
• Thermodynamic origins of refractory dust in the early solar system and ancient stars, NASA Emerging Worlds Program (PI)
• A multifaceted approach to investigating the magmatic and post-magmatic history of volatiles in basalts from the rim of sten crater, NASA ANGSA Program (Co-I w/J. Barnes PI)

Current Spacecraft Involvement

• OSIRIS-REx Collaborator
• CAESAR Co-I

Former Spacecraft Involvement

• NASA Stardust

• Tarunika Ramprasad (Materials Science & Engineering)
• Laura Seifert (PTYS)

Former Students

• Michelle Thompson, 2016 (Ph.D. PTYS)
• Diana Bolser, 2014 (M.S. Chemistry)

Current Postdocs

Pierre-Marie Zanetta

Former Postdocs

• Pierre Haenecour
• Prajkta Mane

Current Staff Scientists

• Dr. Jerry Chang
• Dr. Ken Domanik
• Dr. Juliane Weber

Complete publications list available from: NASA ADS Author search: Thomas J. Zega

Refereed publications (NASA ADS): Calendar Years 2017 through June 2020

Bernal, J. J., Haenecour, P., Howe, J., Zega, T. J., Amari, S., Ziurys, L. M. Formation of Interstellar C₆₀ from Silicon Carbide Circumstellar Grains 2019ApJ...883L..43B

Schmidt, D. R., Woolf, N. J., Zega, T. J., Ziurys, L. M. Extreme ¹³C,¹⁵N and ¹⁷O isotopic enrichment in the young planetary nebula K4-47 2018Natur.564..378S

Nakamura-Messenger, K., Squyres, S. W., Pace, L. F., Messenger, S., Mitchell, D. F., Lauretta, D. S., Glavin, D. P., Houghton, M., Hayes, A. G., Nakamura, T., Dworkin, J. P., Nguyen, A., Clemett, S., Furukawa, Y., Kimura, Y., Takigawa, A., Blake, G., Zega, T. J., Mumma, M., Milam, S., Herd, C. D. K., Mitchell, J. The CAESAR New Frontiers Comet Sample Return Mission 2018MiMic..24S2104N

Seifert, L., Haenecour, P., Zega, T., Floss, C., Howe, J. Multi-keV Analyses of a Presolar Mg-Silicate Grain via SEM/STEM 2018MiMic..24S2098S

Mane, P., Wallace, S., Wallace, P., Chang, Y. J., Domanik, K., Zega, T. J. Coordinated EBSD and TEM Analysis to Decipher Shock Deformation Effects in the Oldest Solids in the Solar System 2018MiMic..24S2092M

Barnes, J. J., Thompson, M. S., McCubbin, F. M., Howe, J. Y., Rahman, Z., Messenger, S., Zega, T. Coordinated Microanalysis of Phosphates in High-Titanium Lunar Basalts 2018MiMic..24S2078B

Mane, P., Wallace, S., Bose, M., Domanik, K., Zega, T. J., Wadhwa, M. Coordinated X-ray, Ion, and Electron Microanalysis Approach Towards Understanding the Earliest-Formed Solids in the Solar System 2017MiMic..23S2136M

Zega, T. J., Manga, V., Watanabe, K., Domanik, K., Mane, P., Hanawa, A., Inada, H., Howe, J. Y., Muralidharan, K. A Combined Atomic-Resolution STEM and First-Principles Approach Towards Understanding the Origins of the First Solar-System Solids 2017MiMic..23S.396Z

Zega, T. J., Massani, B. B., Chang, Y. J., Domanik, K., Nebesny, K., Wallace, P., Armstrong, N. R., Corral, E., Lauretta, D. S., Swindle, T. D., Wang, W., Howe, J. Y., Hanawa, A., Inada, H. A New Core Facility For Electron And Ion Microscopy At The University Of Arizona 2017MiMic..23S..64Z