Stefanie Milam is a planetary scientist and astrochemist who has made significant contributions to the study of comets and the early Solar System. She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Arizona, moved to SETI as a research scientist/postdoc at NASA Ames and went on to work at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Milam uses space and ground-based telescopes to observe and analyze comets, providing insights into their chemical composition and origins. Milam has received numerous awards for her work, including the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal. Milam is the JWST deputy project scientist for planetary science, where she has helped enable observations within our own solar system from Near-Earth Asteroids to the farthest reaches of the Kuiper belt and even the brightest objects in the infrared sky (e.g. Mars).
Geronimo Villanueva is a planetary scientist and astrobiologist at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center who specializes in the search for organic molecules on Mars and on icy bodies. He is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Planetary Spectrum Generator (PSG), Co-PI of the Comet Interceptor Mission, Co-Investigator of the ExoMars/TGO mission, and leader for Mars and Ocean Worlds studies (GTO) for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). He also serves as Science and Management advisor to several observatories, including JWST, Keck, NASA-IRTF and ALMA. In recognition to his work on small bodies, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) named minor planet '9724' after Dr. Villanueva, while the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in 2015 honored him with the Urey Prize (young planetary scientist of the year). Since completing his Ph.D. studies at the Max-Planck-Institute for Solar-System Research in Germany in 2004, Dr. Villanueva has participated in many projects at three space agencies, NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and DLR (German Aerospace Agency), with a broad range of research experience in planetary, exploration and Space sciences. He is a strong advocate for Space Exploration and Astronomy, participating in numerous public outreach activities and in the promotion of science in developing regions.
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