Phil Christensen
Rate Professor Phil Christensen
Helps students see the bigger picture.
About Phil
Academic Profile
Academic Background: Ph.D. in Geophysics and Space Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, 1981.
Research Interests: Planetary geology, infrared spectroscopy, and remote sensing of planetary surfaces, particularly Mars. Focuses on thermal emission spectroscopy to study mineral composition and surface processes.
Appointments: Regents' Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University. Principal Investigator for the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) and Mars Odyssey THEMIS instruments. Co-investigator for Mars Exploration Rovers.
Awards: NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, G.K. Gilbert Award from the Geological Society of America.
Publications: Over 200 peer-reviewed articles, including key works on Martian surface composition in Science and Journal of Geophysical Research.
Additional Contributions: Leads the design and construction of the OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emission Spectrometer (OTES), the first major scientific instrument fully built at ASU for a NASA mission.