Emeriti

EPS Faculty
EPS Faculty
Erik Asphaug
  • Title
    • Professor Emeritus
  • Division Physical & Biological Sciences Division
  • Department
    • Earth & Planetary Sciences Department
  • Affiliations Astronomy & Astrophysics Department
  • Phone
    831-459-2260
  • Email
  • Fax
    831-459-3074
  • Website
  • Office Location
    • Remote work location, N/A
  • Mail Stop Earth and Planetary Sciences

Summary of Expertise

Planetary collisions and origins
Comet and asteroid geophysics
Surface processes
The Moon
Near-Earth objects
Solar system exploration

Research Interests

Asteroid and comet geophysics, Mars surface evolution, planetary collisions of all kinds, and the origin of planets, satellites, meteorites and their parent bodies. I am also interested in spacecraft exploration of comets and asteroids, and zero gravity experiments to understand the rheology and petrology of small bodies and accreting planetesimals.

Biography, Education and Training

2006-: UCSC Earth and Planetary Sciences, Professor
2002-2006: UCSC Earth Sciences, Associate Professor
2000-2002: UCSC Earth Sciences, Assistant Professor
1998-2000: UCSC Earth Sciences, Assoc. Geophysicist
1996-1998: SETI Institute, Principal Investigator
1993-1995: NASA Ames NRC Postdoctoral Fellow
1988-1993: U. Arizona, Tucson, Graduate Researcher
1985-1988: St. Gregory HS, Science and English Faculty
PhD: 1993: U. Arizona: Planetary Sciences, Geophysics
BS: 1984: Rice University: Mathematics and English

Honors, Awards and Grants

Asteroid 7939 Asphaug
Harold C. Urey prize of the AAS

Teaching Interests

Planetary Surfaces
Planetary Discovery
Formation of the Solar System
Planetary Collisions