David Lawrence
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240-228-9615
David.J.Lawrence@jhuapl.edu
:
SES
: Physicist; Planetary Scientist
: Planetary, Heliophysics
Dawn, GRaND, Dragonfly, DraGNS, Lunar Prospector, GRS, NS, APS, Mars Odyssey, GRS, Martian Moons eXploration, MEGANE, MESSENGER, GRNS, Psyche, GRNS
| Degree | Field of Study | Year Attained | Institution Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph. D. | Physics | 1996 | Washington University in St. Louis |
| M. A. | Physics | 1992 | Washington University in St. Louis |
| B. S. | Physics and Mathematics | 1990 | Texas Christian University |
|
I carry out a wide variety of research in planetary and space physics ranging from studies of planetary composition, solar and magnetospheric studies, fundamental physics, and development of instrumentation and analysis techniques needed to carry out these studies. I am the science lead for three spaceflight instruments, the Psyche Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS) for NASA's Psyche mission, the Mars-moon Exploration with GAmma-rays and NEutrons (MEGANE) gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer on the Japanese Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, and Dragonfly Gamma-ray/Neutron Spectrometer (DraGNS) on the NASA-funded Dragonfly mission. My research uses orbital nuclear spectroscopy, including lunar science studies using Lunar Prospector gamma-ray and neutron data, studies of Mercury's surface composition using data from the MESSENGER GRNS, and studies of the asteroids Vesta and Ceres using data from Dawn's Gamma-Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND). I have also used data from the MESSENGER GRNS to study magnetospheric and solar physics. In the area of fundamental physics, I am the Principal Investigator on a Department of Energy project to study the feasibility of measuring neutron lifetime using space-based data from the MESSENGER and Lunar Prospector Neutron Spectrometers. |
| AGU Index Category | AGU Index Sub-Category |
|---|---|
| PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS | Composition |
| PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS | Interactions with particles and fields |
| PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS | Magnetospheres |
| PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS | Instruments and techniques |
| PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS | Moon |
| PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS | Mercury |
| PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS | Mars |
| PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS | Asteroids |
| SOLAR PHYSICS, ASTROPHYSICS, AND ASTRONOMY | Energetic particles |
| PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS | Instruments and techniques |
:
| Start Year | End Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1999 | Post-doctoral Research Associate, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| 1999 | 2008 | Technical Staff Member, Group ISR-1, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| 2005 | 2005 | Visiting Scientist, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, United Kingdom |
| 2006 | 2007 | Director of Center for Space Science and Exploration, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| 2005 | 2008 | Section Leader of Gamma-Ray/Neutron Section of International, Space, and Response Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| 2010 | 2014 | Section Supervisor of Moon/Exploration Section in Planetary Exploration Group, Space Department, JHU/APL |
| 2008 | Current | Principal Professional Staff, Space Exploration Sector, JHU/APL |
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 1996 - Present | Member American Geophysical Union |
| 1994 - Present | Member of American Physical Society |
| 2009, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 | JHU/APL Outstanding Publication Awards |
| 1999, 1999, 2008, 2013, 2017 | NASA Group Achievement Awards for Lunar Prospector, Deep Space 1, MESSENGER and Dawn |
| 2008 | JHU/APL Janney Publications Fellowship |
| 2006 - 2007 | Member of the National Research Council Committee on Lunar Science Priorities and Goals |
| 1998, 2002, 2004 | Los Alamos National Laboratory Distinguished Performance Awards |
| 1998 | Los Alamos National Laboratory Achievement Award |
:
| The following publication information was downloaded from . |
L. T. Elkins‐Tanton, E. Asphaug, III J. F. Bell, H. Bercovici, B. Bills, R. Binzel, W. F. Bottke, S. Dibb, D. J. Lawrence, S. Marchi, T. J. McCoy, R. Oran, R. S. Park, P. N. Peplowski, C. A. Polanskey, T. H. Prettyman, C. T. Russell, L. Schaefer, B. P. Weiss, M. A. Wieczorek, D. A. Williams, M. T. Zuber, (2020), Observations, Meteorites, and Models: A Preflight Assessment of the Composition and Formation of (16) Psyche, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
, 125, 3, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019je006296
Patrick N. Peplowski, David J. Lawrence, Jack T. Wilson, (2020), Chemically distinct regions of Venus's atmosphere revealed by measured N2 concentrations, Nature Astronomy
, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-020-1079-2
Jack T. Wilson, David J. Lawrence, Patrick N. Peplowski, Vincent R. Eke, Jacob A. Kegerreis, (2020), Space-based measurement of the neutron lifetime using data from the neutron spectrometer on NASA's MESSENGER mission, Physical Review Research
Patrick N. Peplowski, Zachary W. Yokley, Madison Liebel, Shuo Cheng, Richard C. Elphic, Shannon F. Hoogerheide, David J. Lawrence, Jeffrey S. Nico, (2020), Position-dependent neutron detection efficiency loss in 3He gas proportional counters, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
, 982, 164574, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2020.164574
Morgan T. Burks, Owen B. Drury, John O. Goldsten, Lisle B. Hagler, Lena E. Heffern, Nathan R. Hines, Geon-Bo Kim, David J. Lawrence, Karl E. Nelson, Patrick N. Peplowski, Zach W. Yokley, (2020), GeMini: A High-Resolution, Low-Resource, Gamma-Ray Spectrometer for Planetary Science Applications, Space Science Reviews
, 216, 7, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00746-y
Jack T. Wilson, David J. Lawrence, Patrick N. Peplowski, William C. Feldman, (2019), MESSENGER Gamma Ray Spectrometer and Epithermal Neutron Hydrogen Data Reveal Compositional Differences Between Mercury's Hot and Cold Poles, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018je005871
David J. Lawrence, Patrick N. Peplowski, Andrew W. Beck, Morgan T. Burks, Nancy L. Chabot, Michael J. Cully, Richard C. Elphic, Carolyn M. Ernst, Samuel Fix, John O. Goldsten, Erin M. Hoffer, Hiroki Kusano, Scott L. Murchie, Brian C. Schratz, Tomohiro Usui, Zachary W. Yokley, (2019), Measuring the Elemental Composition of Phobos: The Mars-moon Exploration with GAmma rays and NEutrons (MEGANE) Investigation for the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Mission, Earth and Space Science
, 6, 12, 2605--2623, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019ea000811
Reka M. Winslow, Nathan A. Schwadron, Noé Lugaz, Jingnan Guo, Colin J. Joyce, Andrew P. Jordan, Jody K. Wilson, Harlan E. Spence, David J. Lawrence, Robert F. Wimmer-Schweingruber, M. Leila Mays, (2018), Opening a Window on ICME-driven GCR Modulation in the Inner Solar System, The Astrophysical Journal
Romina Nikoukar, David J. Lawrence, Patrick N. Peplowski, Ryan M. Dewey, Haje Korth, Daniel N. Baker, Jr. Ralph L. McNutt, (2018), Statistical Study of Mercury's Energetic Electron Events as Observed by the Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer Instrument Onboard MESSENGER, Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018ja025339
J. T. Wilson, D. J. Lawrence, P. N. Peplowski, J. T. S. Cahill, V. R. Eke, R. J. Massey, L F. A. Teodoro, (2018), Image Reconstruction Techniques in Neutron and Gamma Ray Spectroscopy: Improving Lunar Prospector Data, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018je005589
David J. Lawrence, Patrick N. Peplowski, Andrew W. Beck, William C. Feldman, Thomas H. Prettyman, Chris T. Russell, Michael J. Toplis, Jack T. Wilson, Eleonora Ammannito, Julie C. Castillo-Rogez, M. C. DeSanctis, Scott C. Mest, Adrian Neesemann, (2018), Compositional variability on the surface of 1 Ceres revealed through GRaND measurements of high-energy gamma rays, Meteoritics & Planetary Science
, 53, 9, 1805--1819, https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13124
Ryan M. Dewey, James A. Slavin, Jim M. Raines, Daniel N. Baker, David J. Lawrence, (2017), Energetic Electron Acceleration and Injection During Dipolarization Events in Mercury's Magnetotail, Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
, 122, 12, 12,170--12,188, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017ja024617
David J. Lawrence, Patrick N. Peplowski, Andrew W. Beck, William C. Feldman, Elizabeth A. Frank, Timothy J. McCoy, Larry R. Nittler, Sean C. Solomon, (2017), Compositional terranes on Mercury: Information from fast neutrons, Icarus
, 281, 32--45, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2016.07.018
David J. Lawrence, (2017), A tale of two poles: Toward understanding the presence, distribution, and origin of volatiles at the polar regions of the Moon and Mercury, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
, 122, 1, 21--52, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016je005167
Richard S. Miller, David J. Lawrence, (2016), FIRST LIGHT: MeV ASTROPHYSICS FROM THE MOON, The Astrophysical Journal
, 823, 2, L31, https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8205/823/2/l31