Jamie Molaro

Jamie Molaro
Born1986
Education
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsPlanetary science
Workplaces
ThesisStress, on the Rocks: Thermally Induced Stresses in Rocks and Microstructures on Airless Bodies, Implications for Breakdown (2015)
Shane Byrne
Websitehttps://www.jmolaro.com/

Jamie Molaro (born 1986) is an American planetary scientist and artist. The asteroid 30379 Molaro is named for her.

Education

Molaro grew up in Grass Valley, California. She graduated from Bear River High School in 2004. She attended San Francisco State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics in 2008. She was awarded the Eden Academic Excellence Award in 2007 and was a Presidential Scholar. She was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Arizona (UA) in 2015, where she also completed a Master of Science. She also earned a Certificate in College Teaching.

Research

In 2015, Molaro joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a NASA Post Doctoral Program fellow, where she was a scientist working on the OSIRIS-REx mission under Paul Hayne. Molaro publishes research regarding the impact of thermal forces on rocks, boulders, and landscapes on airless bodies.

As of 2025, she is a research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute.

Awards

Selected publications

Molaro, J. L.; Walsh, K. J.; Jawin, E. R.; Ballouz, R.-L.; Bennett, C. A.; DellaGiustina, D. N.; Golish, D. R.; Drouet d’Aubigny, C.; Rizk, B.; Schwartz, S. R.; Hanna, R. D.; Martel, S. J.; Pajola, M.; Campins, H.; Ryan, A. J. (2020-06-09). "In situ evidence of thermally induced rock breakdown widespread on Bennu's surface". Nature Communications. 11 (1) 2913. Bibcode:2020NatCo..11.2913M. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16528-7. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 7283247. PMID 32518333.

Molaro, J.L.; Byrne, S.; Le, J.-L. (2017). "Thermally induced stresses in boulders on airless body surfaces, and implications for rock breakdown". Icarus. 294: 247–261. arXiv:1703.03085. Bibcode:2017Icar..294..247M. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.03.008.

Molaro, Jamie L.; Byrne, Shane; Langer, Stephen A. (2015). "Grain-scale thermoelastic stresses and spatiotemporal temperature gradients on airless bodies, implications for rock breakdown". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 120 (2): 255–277. arXiv:1501.05389. Bibcode:2015JGRE..120..255M. doi:10.1002/2014JE004729. ISSN 2169-9097.

Molaro, Jamie; Byrne, Shane (2012). "Rates of temperature change of airless landscapes and implications for thermal stress weathering". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 117 (E10) 2012JE004138. Bibcode:2012JGRE..11710011M. doi:10.1029/2012JE004138. ISSN 0148-0227.

Outreach and science art

Molaro founded The Art of Planetary Science, an annual art exhibition, at UA in 2013. In 2015, an art piece inspired by her dissertation won the People's Choice prize. Her work was also exhibited at Michigan State University.

She was the co-leader of Mission: AstroAccess, which promotes access to disabled and chronically ill people in the space sciences. This group published a study of possible accessibility accommodations for space flight. She also founded DAIS (Disabled for Accessibility In Space).

References

  1. 1 2 "IAU Minor Planet Center". minorplanetcenter.net. Archived from the original on 2025-06-22. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  2. ↑ "Arizona Geological Society – Jamie Molaro presents Thermal Stress Weathering in the Inner Solar System". arizonageologicalsoc.org. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  3. ↑ "Learning briefs". The Union. 2004-08-23. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  4. 1 2 "Jamie Molaro, PhD – STEM Community of Practice for Education". Archived from the original on 2025-10-11. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  5. ↑ "Jamie Molaro". LinkedIn.
  6. ↑ "Awards and Prizes | Physics & Astronomy {College of Science and Engineering}". physics.sfsu.edu. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  7. ↑ "Jamie Molaro – Planetary Science Institute". Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Institute, Planetary Science (2024-09-09). "LPL alum Jamie Molaro named 2024 Sagan Medal winner for outstanding public communication | College of Science". science.arizona.edu. Archived from the original on 2025-07-23. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jamie Molaro Receives 2016 Kuiper Award | Lunar and Planetary Laboratory & Department of Planetary Sciences | The University of Arizona". www.lpl.arizona.edu. Archived from the original on 2025-12-05. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  10. ↑ "Recent PTYS/LPL Graduates | Lunar and Planetary Laboratory & Department of Planetary Sciences | The University of Arizona". www.lpl.arizona.edu. 2015-07-29. Archived from the original on 2024-10-15. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  11. ↑ Molaro, J. L.; Hergenrother, C. W.; Chesley, S. R.; Walsh, K. J.; Hanna, R. D.; Haberle, C. W.; Schwartz, S. R.; Ballouz, R.-L.; Bottke, W. F.; Campins, H. J.; Lauretta, D. S. (2020-08-01). "Thermal Fatigue as a Driving Mechanism for Activity on Asteroid Bennu". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 125 (8) e2019JE006325. Bibcode:2020JGRE..12506325M. doi:10.1029/2019JE006325. ISSN 2169-9100. PMC 7507781. PMID 32999800.
  12. ↑ Molaro, J. L.; Walsh, K. J.; Jawin, E. R.; Ballouz, R.-L.; Bennett, C. A.; DellaGiustina, D. N.; Golish, D. R.; Drouet d’Aubigny, C.; Rizk, B.; Schwartz, S. R.; Hanna, R. D.; Martel, S. J.; Pajola, M.; Campins, H.; Ryan, A. J. (2020-06-09). "In situ evidence of thermally induced rock breakdown widespread on Bennu's surface". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 2913. Bibcode:2020NatCo..11.2913M. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16528-7. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 7283247. PMID 32518333.
  13. ↑ "Jamie Molaro – Planetary Science Institute". Archived from the original on 2025-10-17. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  14. 1 2 "PSI's Jamie Molaro Receives Susan Mahan Niebur Early Career Award – Planetary Science Institute". 2024-07-19. Archived from the original on 2025-08-08. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  15. ↑ "TAPS 2015 | The Art of Planetary Science". www.lpl.arizona.edu. Archived from the original on 2025-10-10. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  16. ↑ "PSI's Jamie Molaro Turns Science Into Art – Planetary Science Institute". 2021-03-15. Archived from the original on 2025-05-24. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  17. ↑ Molaro, Jamie L.; Kapusta, Ann; Wells-Jensen, Sheri; Voelker, Anna; Bahram, Sina; Bailey, Tim; Bolles, Dana; Cooper, Mary Kate; Fair, Christy; Fauerbach, Michael; Gethard, Lisa; Gifford, Sheyna E.; Greenhalgh, Jody; Ingram, Eric; Jha, Sumant (2024-04-01). "AstroAccess: Testing accessibility accommodations for disabled and mixed-ability crews operating in space-like environments". Acta Astronautica. 217: 382–392. Bibcode:2024AcAau.217..382M. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.02.012. ISSN 0094-5765.
  18. ↑ "Jamie L. Molaro". www.jmolaro.com. Archived from the original on 2025-10-15. Retrieved 2025-11-09.