Perry A. Gerakines, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

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• 1998 -- Ph.D., Physics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  
• 1995 -- Two-year Research Degree (M.S.), Astronomy, Leiden University
  
• 1993 -- B.S., Physics (Astrophysics minor), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  

• 2006 - now -- Associate Professor, Dept. of Physics, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham
  
• 2000 - 2006 -- Assistant Professor, Dept. of Physics, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham
  
• 1998 - 2000 -- Postdoctoral Research Associate for the National Research Council &
  National Academy of Sciences at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
  

• Infrared Astronomy:
  • observations at international ground-based telescopes (such as the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope) and using space observatories (such as the Infrared Space Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope)
• Chemical processes in Astrophysical Environments:
  • infrared spectroscopic studies of the interstellar medium, comets, and icy moons such as Europa
• Laboratory Astrophysics:
  • simulating the physical and chemical processes that take place in astrophysical environments; studies of the analogs of astrophysical materials using a variety of laboratory techniques
• Planetary Exploration:
  • the development of instruments to explore other worlds such as Mars or Europa
• Astrobiology:
  • the molecular origins of life

• Organizing Committee Member for
  • the 34th Meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society (6-11 Oct 2002)
  • the Special Session, "The Effects of Space Radiation on Solar System Ices", of the 2005 meeting of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (20-24 June 2005).
  • the Special Session, "Solar System Ices", of the 2006 meeting of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (10-14 July 2006).
• Memberships:
  • the International Astronomical Union (IAU)
  • the American Astronomical Society (Division for Planetary Sciences)
  • the American Chemical Society (Geochemistry Division)
  • the American Geophysical Union
  • the Asia-Oceania Geosciences Society
  • the Society of Physics Students (Faculty Advisor to Chapter#69)

• 2008 - Grant award from the NASA Astronomy and Physics Research and Analysis Program, "Time-domain THz Spectroscopy of Astrophysical Dust and Ice Analogs", $416k.
• 2008 - Grant award from the NASA Outer Planets Research Program, "Vacuum Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Icy Mixtures Relevant to the Outer Solar System", $409k.
• 2004 - Grant award from the NASA Astronomy and Physics Research and Analysis Program, "Laboratory Studies of Interstellar Solid Carbon Dioxide Ice Analogs in Support of Observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope", $92k.
• 2004 - Grant award from the NASA Outer Planets Research Program, "Near-Infrared Laboratory Characterization of UV Photolyzed Ices of Interest to the Outer Solar System", $218k.
• 1998 - National Research Council-National Academy of Sciences Research Associateship award, "Ultraviolet Photolysis vs. Ion Irradiation of Cosmic Ice Analogs: a Quantitative Comparison".

• 43 publications in international refereed journals and books
• 2,352 citations to published works; h-index = 26 (as of Jan 2010)
• Regular reviewer for the international journals Science, Icarus, Astronomy & Astrophysics, the Astrophysical Journal, Advances in Space Research, the Journal of Geophysical Research- Planets, and the Publications of the National Academy of Sciences

• White, D.W., Gerakines, P.A., Whittet, D.C.B., Cook, A.M., Laboratory Spectra of the CO₂ Bending-Mode Feature in Interstellar Ice Analogs Subject to Thermal Processing, Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 180, 182-191 (2009) doi: 10.1088/0067-0049/180/1/182.
• Gerakines, P. A., Bray, J. J., Davis, A., Richey, C. R., The strengths of near-infrared absorption features relevant to interstellar and planetary ices, Astrophysical Journal 620, 1140-1150 (2005).
• Gerakines, P. A., Moore, M. H., Hudson, R. L., Ultraviolet photolysis and proton irradiation of astrophysical ice analogs containing hydrogen cyanide, Icarus 170 (1), 202-213 (2004).
• Gerakines, P. A., Moore, M. H., "Carbon suboxide in astrophysical ice analogs, Icarus 154 (2), 372-380 (2001).
• Gerakines, P. A., Moore, M. H., Hudson, R. L., Carbonic acid production in H₂O + CO₂ ices: UV photolysis vs. proton bombardment, Astronomy & Astrophysics 357, 793-800 (2000).
• Geraknes, P. A., Whittet, D. C. B., Ehrenfreund, P., et al., Observations of solid carbon dioxide in molecular clouds with the Infrared Space Observatory, Astrophysical Journal 522, 357-377 (1999).

© 2008 Perry A. Gerakines and the University of Alabama at Birmingham
Original design by Andreas Viklund