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Committee and Staff Biographical Information

MARTHA S. GILMORE, Co-Chair, is the Joshua Boger University Professor of the Sciences and Mathematics, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and is currently the dean of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Wesleyan University. Dr. Gilmore is a geologist who specializes in the study of the evolution of planetary surfaces using geomorphic mapping and visible to near-infrared spectroscopy on Venus, Mars, and Earth. She also studies the growth and weathering of minerals under simulated Venus and Mars conditions in her laboratory and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Extreme Environments Rig. Dr. Gilmore is a science team member on the DAVINCI and VERITAS missions to Venus and was co-principal investigator of the Venus Flagship Planetary Decadal Mission Concept Study. Dr. Gilmore is a fellow of the Geological Society of America and a recipient of that body’s Randolph W. “Bill” and Cecile T. Bromery Award. She also received the Claudia J. Alexander Prize from the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society. She delivered the 30th Masursky lecture at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Dr. Gilmore received a PhD in geological sciences from Brown University. She has formerly served the National Academies as a member of the Committee on Planetary and Lunar Exploration (COMPLEX) and as a member of the Inner Planets Panel of the Vision and Voyages planetary decadal survey.

KARYN L. ROGERS, Co-Chair, is an associate professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and directs the Rensselaer Astrobiology Research and Education Center. Dr. Rogers’s research interests focus largely on habitability in extreme environments and uses both terrestrial analog environments and novel laboratory experimental systems to explore the synthesis of prebiotic molecules on the early Earth, as well as the environmental limits of life. Before joining the faculty of RPI, Dr. Rogers was a research scientist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri, and a Deep Ocean Exploration Institute postdoctoral scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Dr. Rogers is a co-lead of the Prebiotic Chemistry and Early Earth Environments consortium and was recently a resident Global Visitors Fellow at the Earth and Planets Laboratory at the Carnegie Institution for Science. Additionally, at RPI Dr. Rogers serves on the Faculty Senate and is appointed in the Institute for Data Exploration and Applications. Dr. Rogers, whose PhD in Earth and planetary sciences is from Washington University in St. Louis, was a member of the National Academies’ Committee on Astrobiology Science Strategy for the Search for Life in the Universe.

WILLIAM F. BOTTKE is the executive director of the Science Directorate of the Solar System Science and Exploration Division at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). Dr. Bottke was a member of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission and is a science team member of NASA’s Lucy, Psyche, and NEO Surveyor missions. Dr. Bottke’s research is broadly focused on the formation and bombardment history of planetesimals, planets, and satellites; the origin and evolution of small body populations throughout the solar system; and the evolution of near-Earth objects from their source regions in various asteroid and cometary populations to their observed orbits. Dr. Bottke is the director of the Center for Lunar Origin and Evolution of NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute. He was the first recipient

of the Paolo Farinella Prize. Dr. Bottke delivered the 2015 Shoemaker Lecture for the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the 2017 Kavli Lecture at the 229th American Astronomical Society meeting. Dr. Bottke has also been named a fellow of both the Meteoritical Society and AGU. He earned a PhD in planetary science from the University of Arizona. Dr. Bottke was a member of the National Academies’ Committee on Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal 2023–2032: Panel on Small Solar System Bodies.

CAROLYN A. CROW is an assistant professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. Prior to moving to Boulder, Dr. Crow was a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Dr. Crow’s research focuses on understanding the evolution of planetary crusts through geochemical analyses of samples, with particular focus on the timing and process of impact cratering. Dr. Crow has worked with samples ranging from lunar rocks returned by Apollo astronauts, martian and lunar meteorites, and samples from terrestrial impact structures. Dr. Crow earned a PhD in geochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, as a NASA Earth and Space Sciences Fellow.

ORLANDO FIGUEROA is the president of Orlando Leadership Enterprise, LLC, which focuses on providing expert advice in space mission systems and technology, organization and enterprise/program management, strategic planning, and team and leadership development. Mr. Figueroa retired from NASA after serving as the director of applied engineering and technology at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), the deputy center director of science and technology at GSFC, and the NASA deputy associate administrator for Science Mission Directorate. Mr. Figueroa was named the 2005 Service to America Federal Employee of the Year and was awarded the 2008 Smithsonian Institution Latino Center Legacy Award, the 2010 NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the 2016 National Space Society Pioneer Award, and the Senior Executive Service President Rank Award. He earned a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. Mr. Figueroa served on the National Academies’ Committee on Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023–2032 and the Committee on Increasing Diversity and Inclusion in the Leadership of Competed Space Missions.

ABIGAIL A. FRAEMAN is a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a visiting associate at the California Institute of Technology, a deputy project scientist for the Mars Science Laboratory, a former deputy project scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover mission, and a former co-investigator for the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars. Dr. Fraeman’s research focuses on the history and evolution of Mars, Phobos, and Deimos, and reflectance spectroscopy from the macro- to micro-scale. Dr. Fraeman holds multiple NASA Group Achievement Awards, the NASA Early Career Award, and the NASA Early Career Public Achievement Medal. She earned a PhD in Earth and planetary sciences from the Washington University in St. Louis as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow. Dr. Fraeman was a member of the National Academies’ Committee on Planetary Protection Requirements for Sample-Return Missions from Martian Moons.

TIMOTHY L. GROVE is the Robert R. Shrock Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Grove’s research is focused on the processes that have led to chemical evolution of the Earth and other planets, including the Moon, Mars, Mercury, and meteorite parent bodies, a topic he studies by combining field, petrologic, and geochemical studies of igneous rocks with high-pressure and high-temperature experimental petrology. Dr. Grove is recognized for important contributions to understanding magma generation on Earth, other planets, and early formed planetesimals. Before being appointed to the faculty at MIT, he served in teaching and research roles at Harvard University; the State University of New York, Stony Brook; and the California Institute of Technology and as a visiting scientist at the University of Cape Town, a research scientist at the University of Zimbabwe (Harare), a visiting professor at ETH Zürich, and a guest professor at the University of Lausanne. Dr. Grove is a recipient of the Harry H. Hess Medal from AGU and the V.M.

Goldschmidt Award from the Geochemical Society, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and has been named a fellow of the Geochemical Society, AGU, and the Mineralogical Society of America. His PhD in geology was awarded by Harvard University. Dr. Grove served as the chair of the National Academies’ Panel on Mercury and the Moon for the Planetary Sciences and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023–2032 and as an ex officio member of the U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics.

BRANDON C. JOHNSON is a professor at Purdue University in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, whose research focuses mainly on impact cratering and impact processes in the evolution of planets, moons, and asteroids. This research extends to the study of the geophysics of planets and the various processes that modify planetary surfaces, in addition to the early solar system and meteorites, the breakup of comets, and the understanding of the lunar gravity field. Before joining the faculty at Purdue University, Dr. Johnson was a postdoctoral associate at MIT and an assistant professor of Earth, environmental, and planetary sciences at Brown University. Dr. Johnson is the recipient of the Ronald Greeley Early Career Award in Planetary Science from AGU, the Lark-Horovitz Award for outstanding research in physics from Purdue University, and the Nininger Meteorite Award from the Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University. Dr. Johnson earned a PhD in physics from Purdue University.

MELISSA A. MCGRATH is a senior scientist at the SETI Institute. Previously, Dr. McGrath served as the chief scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Her research expertise includes planetary and satellite atmospheres and magnetospheres, particularly imaging and spectroscopic studies of Jupiter’s Galilean satellites. Dr. McGrath is currently a co-investigator on the Ultraviolet Spectrometer instrument on the European Space Agency JUICE mission to Ganymede, as well as a co-investigator on two instruments for NASA’s Europa Clipper mission. Dr. McGrath served as the chair of the American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Sciences; served as the president of the International Astronomical Union’s Commission 16 (Physical Studies of Planets and Satellites); and is a scientific editor for the American Astronomical Society journals The Astrophysical Journal, The Astronomical Journal, The Astrophysical Journal Letters, and The Astrophysical Journal Supplement. Dr. McGrath has been awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the NASA Superior Accomplishment Award, and the NASA Ames Honor Award in Lunar Science. She earned a PhD in astronomy from the University of Virginia.

JOSEPH G. O’ROURKE is an assistant professor at the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) and an affiliated faculty member of the Interplanetary Initiative at Arizona State University (ASU). Dr. O’Rourke’s research focuses on the interior dynamics in planetary bodies made of metal, rock, and ice; on the application of solar system discoveries to exoplanet characterization; and on the mission and instrument development for spacecraft exploration. He was formerly an SESE Exploration Postdoctoral Fellow at ASU and a postdoctoral scholar in planetary science at the California Institute of Technology. Dr. O’Rourke has received the Antarctica Service Medal and was a finalist of the Hertz Foundation Fellowship. He earned a PhD in planetary science as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. Dr. O’Rourke served as a member of the National Academies’ Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023–2032: Panel on Venus.

EDGARD G. RIVERA-VALENTÍN is a senior planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Dr. Rivera-Valentín’s research focuses on applications for planetary protection policies and planetary defense strategies. He studies surface processes with implications for planetary habitability and uses ground- and space-based radar observations to characterize asteroids and planetary surfaces. Dr. Rivera-Valentín was a planetary scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute and a planetary radar astronomer at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, following a postdoctoral research appointment at Brown University. Dr. Rivera-Valentín was named a NASA Early Career Fellow by the

NASA Planetary Science Division in 2016, and the asteroid 2010 ER87 is now officially designated as 389478 Rivera-Valentín. He earned a PhD in space and planetary sciences from the University of Arkansas and was recognized as a Doctoral Academy Fellow. Dr. Rivera-Valentín serves as the science editor of the American Astronomical Society’s Planetary Science Journal and has served on the National Academies’ Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal 2023–2032: Panel on Small Solar System Bodies.

ORENTHAL J. TUCKER is the associate lab chief of the Planetary Magnetospheres Lab (Code 695) in the Sciences and Exploration Directorate at GSFC. Dr. Tucker’s research interests include understanding how dynamics at the molecular level affects planets and planetary materials, which includes developing and carrying out molecular-level simulations to model gas flows on planetary bodies and describing radiation effect in solids. At GSFC, Dr. Tucker has been a co-investigator on the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute’s Dynamic Response of the Environments at Asteroids, the Moon, and moons of Mars and Lunar Environment and Dynamics for Exploration Research science teams investigating dynamics of the lunar exosphere, and he is a co-lead of the Exosphere Ionospheres Magnetospheres Modeling theme at GSFC. Previously, Dr. Tucker was a research scientist at the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan and served as a member of the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer science team developing and using numerical models to examine dynamics of the atmospheres of Titan, Enceladus, and Saturn’s rings. He is a recipient of NASA’s Susan Mahan Niebur and Robert H. Goddard Science awards and the University of Virginia’s Robert A. Bland Award. Dr. Tucker was a participant in the CAS-NAS Third Forum for New Leaders in Space Science in 2015 and earned a PhD in engineering physics from the University of Virginia.

ROBIN D. WORDSWORTH is the Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Harvard University. Dr. Wordsworth’s research interests include planetary climate and climate evolution, astrobiology and planetary habitability, and atmospheric physics and chemistry. Dr. Wordsworth leads the Planetary Climate and Atmospheric Evolution Research Group at Harvard University, which focuses on understanding the evolution of solar system and exoplanet atmospheres and climates. Past work of the Wordsworth group has included studies of Mars’ early climate during warm and wet episodes, snowball and hothouse climates in Earth’s distant past, the link between ultraviolet radiation and life, and the detectability of water and life on exoplanets. Wordsworth is a recipient of an NSF CAREER award. Dr. Wordsworth earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Oxford and served as a member on the National Academies’ Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023–2032: Panel on Mars.

STAFF

DANIEL NAGASAWA, Study Director, joined the Space Studies Board (SSB) in July 2019 and is a program officer. Before joining the SSB, he was a graduate research assistant specializing in stellar astrophysics, measuring the abundance of elements in the atmospheres of very old, metal-poor stars. Dr. Nagasawa began his research career as an undergraduate research assistant for the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search. When he began graduate school, he transitioned to designing and evaluating astronomical instrumentation, specifically ground-based spectrographs. He went on to specialize in high-resolution stellar spectroscopy and applied these techniques on stars in ultra-faint dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way to study the chemical history of the Galaxy as part of the Dark Energy Survey (DES). He also developed skills in education and public outreach by teaching an observational astronomy course and writing for an outreach initiative for DES. Dr. Nagasawa earned his PhD in astronomy and MS in physics at Texas A&M University and his BS in physics with a concentration in astrophysics from Stanford University.

MEGAN CHAMBERLAIN joined the SSB and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) as a senior program assistant in September 2019. Ms. Chamberlain began her career at the National Academies in 2007 working for the Transportation Research Board in the Cooperative Research Program. She has assisted with meeting facilitation and administrative support of hundreds of research projects over the course of her career. Chamberlain attended the University of the District of Columbia and majored in psychology.

COLLEEN N. HARTMAN joined the National Academies in 2018 as the director for both the SSB and the ASEB. After beginning her government career as a presidential management intern under Ronald Reagan, Dr. Hartman worked on Capitol Hill for House Science and Technology Committee Chair Don Fuqua, as a senior engineer building spacecraft at NASA GSFC, and as a senior policy analyst at the White House. She has served as the planetary division director, deputy associate administrator, and acting associate administrator at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, as the deputy assistant administrator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and as the deputy center director and director of science and exploration at GSFC. Dr. Hartman has built and launched scientific balloon payloads, overseen the development of hardware for a variety of Earth-observing spacecraft, and served as the NASA program manager for dozens of missions, the most successful of which was the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE). Data from the COBE spacecraft gained two NASA-sponsored scientists the Nobel Prize in physics in 2006. She also played a pivotal role in developing innovative approaches to powering space probes destined for the solar system’s farthest reaches. While at NASA Headquarters, she spearheaded the selection process for the New Horizons probe to Pluto. She helped gain administration and congressional approval for an entirely new class of funded missions that are competitively selected, called “New Frontiers,” to explore the planets, asteroids, and comets in the Solar System. She has several master’s degrees and a PhD in physics. Dr. Hartman has received numerous awards, including two prestigious Presidential Rank Awards.

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