Alex Parker

Dr. Parker is an expert in observational, theoretical, statistical, and instrumentation methodologies for exploring the origin and history of the solar system, with a particular focus on its minor planet populations. His publication record includes research on asteroid family physical characteristics, Kuiper Belt dynamics, the properties of the Pluto system as seen by New Horizons, computational optimization techniques for minor planet discovery, statistical methodologies for characterizing the lunar cratering history, and more. Since his PhD work on the characteristics of Kuiper Belt binary systems and their implications for the origin and evolution of the outer solar system, Dr. Parker has been engaged in efforts to enhance and enable planetary exploration. He surveyed the Kuiper Belt for a post-Pluto target for the New Horizons mission (leading to co-discovery of the extended mission target Arrokoth). He conducted the astrodynamics analyses to determine targetability of extended mission targets, developed the mission case for long-range Kuiper Belt Object observations from New Horizons, and is now a Co-Investigator on the New Horizons Extended Mission. He is now PI of the largest-ever solar system program on the Hubble Space Telescope, the Solar System Origins Legacy Survey, and he directs a NASA SSERVI node for exploration technology development, Project ESPRESSO. 

2017 – NASA Group Achievement Award for involvement in New Horizons Pluto flyby.

2014 – Kavli Fellow, Nataional Academy of Science.

2013 – Asteroid (345842) named “Alexparker”

2013 – CERN “Data Visualization Award” at Imagine Science Film Festival.

Peer-reviewed: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lKTXrRkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra

Project ESPRESSO: https://www.espresso.institute
Solar System Origins Legacy Survey: https://www.ssols.space