Bio
BioDr. James Roberts is a planetary geophysicist who models large-scale geodynamics of terrestrial planets and icy satellites to understand why the solar system’s planets and moons look the way they do now, what they were like early in their history, and how they evolved to their present state. His research focuses on (1) sources of heat in planetary interiors, tidal dissipation, radioactive decay, and impacts; (2) solid-state convection and the removal of heat from planetary interiors; (3) surface features and mass anomalies generated by geodynamic processes, and their effect on planetary reorientation; and (4) the relationship between the thermal and orbital evolution of planets and moons. He develops models to explain specific surface observations of targeted planetary bodies (e.g., Mars or Saturn’s moon Enceladus) but uses parameters that can be applied to planetary bodies in general.
Notable Awards and Leadership
Notable Awards and Leadership| Year(s) | Description |
|---|---|
| Year(s) 2014 - Present | Description Member, Geological Society of America |
| Year(s) 2012 - Present | Description Affiliate member, Division of Planetary Sciences |
| Year(s) 2011 | Description Editors’ Citation for Excellence in Refereeing, American Geophysical Union |
| Year(s) 2010 | Description Outstanding Professional Book Award, APL |
| Year(s) 2009 - Present | Description Member, Outer Planets Assessment Group |
| Year(s) 2004 - 2005 | Description “Best Should Teach” Silver Award, Graduate Teacher Program, University of Colorado |
| Year(s) 2001 - Present | Description Member, American Geophysical Union |
| Year(s) 2001 - 2003 | Description Supplemental fellowships, Department of Astrophysics and Planetary Science, University of Colorado |
