Apurva Oza

Apurva V. Oza

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About Me

I am a research scientist at the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at Caltech, where my research focuses on the energetics of planet-satellite systems. I am driven by the fundamental question of how worlds evolve and what physical processes govern the thermal, gravitational, and plasma evolution of their atmospheres over geological timescales.

My Ph.D. is in Astronomy & Astrophysics from the Observatoire de Paris program (Sorbonne Université, 2017) on the detection and dynamics of satellite exospheres (tenuous gases) specializing in planetology and space instrumentation.

Today, at Caltech, I teach special topics in Astrobiology in the Winter semesters with Prof. Yuk L. Yung. I lead projects concerning the energetics of the Galilean satellites especially as analogs for geologically-active exoplanets and exomoons. I am a science affiliate of the Europa Clipper mission, arriving to Jupiter in 2030. My role on the MASPEX and UVS teams is to provide 3-D Monte Carlo exosphere models as well as new interpretations on the thermal behavior of its oxidized surface-bounded ice-atmosphere.

Contact: oza@caltech.edu

For a detailed list of my works, please see my publications page.

Read Oza's Papers