Graduate-Program – UCLA EPSS

UCLA’s graduate program in Planetary Science is focused on training the next generation of planetary scientists by providing a curriculum of graduate-level courses as well as opportunities to conduct research at the forefront of knowledge in the field. Planetary Science encapsulates the scientific study of planetary bodies, a class of celestial objects that generally orbit stars but are distinct from stars in that their internal energy is not (and never was) derived from nuclear fusion. The 8 planets that orbit the Sun, their satellites, dwarf planets such as Ceres and Pluto, and minor planets such as asteroids and comets are all considered planetary bodies. Similar bodies orbiting other stars and those that have been ejected from their parent planetary system are also considered planetary bodies. Planetary Science addresses the formation and evolution of planetary bodies, their physical and chemical properties, their dynamical interactions, their geology, their climate, and their habitability. Components of interest include the interiors, surfaces, atmospheres, and magnetospheres of planetary bodies. Processes of interest include accretion, differentiation, heat production and transport including radioactivity, conduction, convection, and radiative transfer, dynamos, impact cratering, volcanism, tectonism, erosion, atmospheric dynamics and climates, tidal interactions, interactions between planetary layers, interactions with the host star. The field complements and overlaps with some aspects of Astronomy, Meteoritics, Geochemistry, Geology, Geophysics, Mineral Physics, and Plasma Physics, and employs a range of research approaches including theory, numerical modeling, experimental and observational studies using Earth and space-based telescopes and planetary spacecraft missions.

Program Admission Requirements (Grad Division Site)

Faculty In Planetary Science

Name	Title	Email
Vassilis Angelopoulos	Professor	vassilis@g.ucla.edu
Jonathan Aurnou	Professor	jona@epss.ucla.edu
Caroline Beghein	Professor	cbeghein@epss.ucla.edu
Mackenzie Day	Assistant Professor	daym@epss.ucla.edu
Mark Harrison	Professor Emeritus & Distinguished Research Professor	tmh@epss.ucla.edu
David Jewitt	Distinguished Professor	jewitt@epss.ucla.edu
Abby Kavner	Professor	akavner@igpp.ucla.edu
Jean-Luc Margot	Professor	jlm@epss.ucla.edu
Kevin Mckeegan	Professor Emeritus & Distinguished Research Professor	mckeegan@epss.ucla.edu
Jonathan Mitchell	Professor	mitch@epss.ucla.edu
Seul Gi Moon	Associate Professor	sgmoon@epss.ucla.edu
William Newman	Professor	win@ucla.edu
David Paige	Professor	dap@epss.ucla.edu
Christopher Russell	Professor Emeritus & Distinguished Research Professor	ctrussel@epss.ucla.edu
Hilke Schlichting	Professor & Associate Dean for Research	hilke@ucla.edu
Lars Stixrude	Professor	lstixrude@epss.ucla.edu
Edward Young	Professor	eyoung@epss.ucla.edu
Amy Mainzer	Professor	mainzer@epss.ucla.edu

The Geophysics and Space Physics program offers study in Earth’s interior (seismology, gravity, thermal regime, geomagnetism, tectonics), geophysical fluid dynamics (turbulence, rotating systems, stability, hydromagnetism), nonlinear dynamics, planetology (orbital dynamics, planetary interiors, surfaces and atmospheres, solar-system origin), and space physics (magnetosphere, radiation belts, solar wind, magnetic fields, cosmic rays). Many of our faculty are interdisciplinary in their research. These faculty below have research interests in the disciplines covered in our graduate program in Geophysics and Space Physics (G&SP). Although our Geophysics and Space Physics emeriti faculty do not directly advise graduate students, they provide a valuable resource in student research.

Program Admission Requirements (Grad Division Site)

Faculty In Geophysics and Space Physics

Name	Title	Email
Vassilis Angelopoulos	Professor	vassilis@g.ucla.edu
Jonathan Aurnou	Professor	jona@epss.ucla.edu
Caroline Beghein	Professor	cbeghein@epss.ucla.edu
Paul Davis	Professor Emeritus	pdavis@epss.ucla.edu
Mackenzie Day	Assistant Professor	daym@epss.ucla.edu
David Jewitt	Distinguished Professor	jewitt@epss.ucla.edu
Abby Kavner	Professor	akavner@igpp.ucla.edu
Margaret Kivelson	Professor Emerita	mkivelson@igpp.ucla.edu
Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni	Department Chair & Professor – Louis B. and Martha B. Slichter Endowed Chair in Geosciences	clb@epss.ucla.edu
Jean-Luc Margot	Professor	jlm@epss.ucla.edu
Robert McPherron	Professor Emeritus	rmcpherron@igpp.ucla.edu
Jonathan Mitchell	Professor	mitch@epss.ucla.edu
William Newman	Professor	win@ucla.edu
David Paige	Professor	dap@epss.ucla.edu
Gilles Peltzer	Professor	peltzer@epss.ucla.edu
Christopher Russell	Professor Emeritus & Distinguished Research Professor	ctrussel@epss.ucla.edu
Hilke Schlichting	Professor & Associate Dean for Research	hilke@ucla.edu
Gerald Schubert	Professor Emeritus	schubert@ucla.edu
Lars Stixrude	Professor	lstixrude@epss.ucla.edu
Marco Velli	Professor	mvelli@epss.ucla.edu
Ray Walker	Professor Emeritus	rwalker@igpp.ucla.edu

The Geology program offers study in geomorphology, micropaleontology, mineralogy, organic geochemistry, paleobiology, petrology, paleontology, remote sensing, sedimentology, stratigraphy, structural geology, and tectonophysics. Many of our faculty are interdisciplinary in their research. These faculty below have research interests in the disciplines covered in our graduate program in Geology. Although our Geology emeriti faculty do not directly advise graduate students, they provide a valuable resource in student research.

Program Admission Requirements (Grad Division Site)

Faculty In Geology

Name	Title	Email
Peter Bird	Professor Emeritus	pbird@epss.ucla.edu
Mackenzie Day	Assistant Professor	daym@epss.ucla.edu
Wayne Dollase	Professor Emeritus	dollase@ucla.edu
Clarence Hall	Professor Emeritus	hall@epss.ucla.edu
Mark Harrison	Professor Emeritus & Distinguished Research Professor	tmh@epss.ucla.edu
Raymond Ingersoll	Professor Emeritus	ringer@epss.ucla.edu
Craig Manning	Distinguished Professor	manning@epss.ucla.edu
Seul Gi Moon	Associate Professor	sgmoon@epss.ucla.edu
Bruce Runnegar	Professor Emeritus	runnegar@ucla.edu
William Schopf	Professor Emeritus & Distinguished Research Professor	schopf@epss.ucla.edu
Aradhna E. Tripati	Professor	atripati@g.ucla.edu
John He	Assistant Professor	johnhe@epss.ucla.edu

The Geochemistry program offers study in biogeochemistry, cosmochemistry, crystal chemistry, experimental petrology, isotopic studies of stable and radioactive elements, marine geochemistry, meteorite research, planetology, and lunar geochemistry. Many of our faculty are interdisciplinary in their research. These faculty below have research interests in the disciplines covered in our graduate program in Geochemistry. Although our Geochemistry emeriti faculty do not directly advise graduate students, they provide a valuable resource in student research.

Program Admission Requirements (Grad Division Site)

Faculty In Geochemistry

Name	Title	Email
Mark Harrison	Professor Emeritus & Distinguished Research Professor	tmh@epss.ucla.edu
Abby Kavner	Professor	akavner@igpp.ucla.edu
Craig Manning	Distinguished Professor	manning@epss.ucla.edu
Kevin Mckeegan	Professor Emeritus & Distinguished Research Professor	mckeegan@epss.ucla.edu
Seul Gi Moon	Associate Professor	sgmoon@epss.ucla.edu
Edwin Schauble	Professor	schauble@epss.ucla.edu
Ulrike Seibt	Professor	useibt@ucla.edu
Lars Stixrude	Professor	lstixrude@epss.ucla.edu
Tina Treude	Professor	ttreude@g.ucla.edu
Aradhna E. Tripati	Professor	atripati@g.ucla.edu
Edward Young	Professor	eyoung@epss.ucla.edu