About Me

Jamie Molaro, PhD

Planetary Scientist, Artist, Nerd 

I am Research Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute and an Affiliate at geographical host institution the Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I am also a former Participating Scientist and current Sample Science team member on NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission to retrieve a sample from asteroid Bennu, and a Co-I on the Project ESPRESSO node of the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI). My work focuses on fracture processes and breakdown in rocky and icy material on airless bodies. I study the role of thermally induced stresses in boulder disaggregation and regolith production, and the contribution this makes to landscape evolution on the Moon, asteroids, dwarf planets, and comets. I work to understand how this cyclic processing changes the bulk properties of materials, causes fracture development, and the differences between rock and ice in the solar system. I also study ice sintering and the evolution of icy regolith on ocean worlds like Europa and Enceladus. Understanding their surface porosity, strength, and thermal and frictional properties has critical implications for future exploration efforts on these bodies. I study these processes at a variety of scales, from micro- to macroscopic, working to build an in-depth understanding the role thermal forcing plays in surface evolution. I employ a combination of numerical modeling and laboratory experiments in this research, along with the occasional terrestrial field study.

In my free time, I play the harp, write, make stuff out of other stuff, and play lots of D&D, board, and video games with my husband. We live with our dog in the Los Angeles area of California.