Sivaraman Bhalamurugan

Dr. R. Mark Elowitz earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Astronomy and a minor in Planetary Science at the University of Arizona in August 1985. Since then he went on to complete 84 semester units of post-graduate study at the University of Arizona in the fields of Astrophysics, Astronomy, Planetary Science and Physics from 1987 to 1994. Between the years 1996 and 2020 he worked on various contracts supporting NASA space missions and DOD research projects. Mark earned his Master of Science degree with a Thesis on 3D Climate Patterns on Earth-like Planets Using the NASA GISS 3-D Global Climate Model, through the Space Studies program at the University of North Dakota with a concentration in Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrobiology (2014). Mark has recently earned his PhD degree in Astronomy/Astrophysics (2015-2019) through the Open University, Milton Keynes, UK (2015-2019). His Dissertation was entitled "Far-UV Spectroscopy of Saturn's Moons Rhea and Dione." Dr. Elowitz then completed a Master of Science degree in Space Systems through the Florida Institute of Technology (May 2020). His role on the final Capstone project was acting as Payload Science Specialist on a design project to send an orbiter and lander to Saturn's potentially habitable moon Enceladus. Mark currently works as a Research Scientist for a US Government contractor corporation in support of US Government research projects. Dr. Elowitz holds professional memberships in the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the American Astronomical Society (AAS), Sigma Xi - The Scientific Research Society, and The Planetary Society. He has published several scientific papers in both peer-reviewed journals and NASA mission design publications. Dr. Elowitz has an IAU Minor Planet Center citation naming an asteroid "13652 Elowitz" in his honor.