Jamie Molaro
American planetary scientist
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Jamie Molaro (born 1986) is an American planetary scientist and artist. The asteroid 30379 Molaro is named for her.
- San Francisco State University, BS (2008)
- University of Arizona, MS, PhD (2015)
- Carl Sagan Medal
- Susan Mahan Niebur Early Career Award
- NASA Planetary Science Early Career Award
Jamie Molaro | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986[1] |
| Education |
|
| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Planetary science |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Stress, on the Rocks: Thermally Induced Stresses in Rocks and Microstructures on Airless Bodies, Implications for Breakdown (2015) |
| Doctoral advisor | Shane Byrne |
| Website | https://www.jmolaro.com/ |
Education
Molaro grew up in Grass Valley, California.[2] She graduated from Bear River High School in 2004.[3] She attended San Francisco State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics in 2008.[4][5] She was awarded the Eden Academic Excellence Award in 2007 and was a Presidential Scholar.[6][7] She was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Arizona (UA) in 2015, where she also completed a Master of Science.[8] She also earned a Certificate in College Teaching.[9]
Research
In 2015, Molaro joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a NASA Post Doctoral Program fellow, where she was a scientist working on the OSIRIS-REx mission under Paul Hayne.[8][10] Molaro publishes research regarding the impact of thermal forces on rocks, boulders, and landscapes on airless bodies.[11][12]
As of 2025, she is a research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute.[13]
Awards
- Earth and Space Science Fellowship, NASA, 2012[9]
- Galileo Circle Scholarship, University of Arizona College of Science, 2012[9]
- Gerard P. Kuiper Memorial Award, University of Arizona, 2016[9]
- Asteroid namesake, 30379 Molaro, International Astronomical Union, 2021[1][8]
- Planetary Science Early Career Award, NASA, 2023[14]
- Susan Mahan Niebur Early Career Award, NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, 2024[14]
- Carl Sagan Medal, American Astronomical Society, 2024[8]
Selected publications
Molaro, J. L.; Walsh, K. J.; Jawin, E. R.; Ballouz, R.-L.; Bennett, C. A.; DellaGiustina, D. N.; Golish, D. R.; Drouet d’Aubigny, C.; Rizk, B.; Schwartz, S. R.; Hanna, R. D.; Martel, S. J.; Pajola, M.; Campins, H.; Ryan, A. J. (2020-06-09). "In situ evidence of thermally induced rock breakdown widespread on Bennu's surface". Nature Communications. 11 (1). doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16528-7. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 7283247. PMID 32518333.
Molaro, J.L.; Byrne, S.; Le, J.-L. (2017). "Thermally induced stresses in boulders on airless body surfaces, and implications for rock breakdown". Icarus. 294: 247–261. arXiv:1703.03085. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.03.008.
Molaro, Jamie L.; Byrne, Shane; Langer, Stephen A. (2015). "Grain‐scale thermoelastic stresses and spatiotemporal temperature gradients on airless bodies, implications for rock breakdown". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 120 (2): 255–277. arXiv:1501.05389. doi:10.1002/2014JE004729. ISSN 2169-9097.
Molaro, Jamie; Byrne, Shane (2012). "Rates of temperature change of airless landscapes and implications for thermal stress weathering". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 117 (E10). doi:10.1029/2012JE004138. ISSN 0148-0227.
Outreach and science art
Molaro founded The Art of Planetary Science, an annual art exhibition, at UA in 2013.[9] In 2015, an art piece inspired by her dissertation won the People's Choice prize.[15] Her work was also exhibited at Michigan State University.[16]
She was the co-leader of Mission: AstroAccess, which promotes access to disabled and chronically ill people in the space sciences.[4] This group published a study of possible accessibility accommodations for space flight.[17] She also founded DAIS (Disabled for Accessibility In Space).[18]
