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Planetary Scientist
  • PhD, Space and Planetary Sciences
    2014, University of Arkansas
  • MS, Astronomy
    2009, Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

I am a planetary scientist studying comets, volatile trapping in the early solar system, and the photochemistry of planetary atmospheres. My current research focuses on the composition, structure and volatile storage of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and photochemical modeling of cold nitrogen-methane atmospheres, such as on Titan, Pluto, and Triton. In addition, I am leading an Internal Research And Development project applying the knowledge of Solar System photochemistry to exoplanetary atmospheres. In my Ph.D. thesis work I extensively studied Titan's lake kinetics through a combination of laboratory experiments in a one-of-a-kind simulation chamber that I helped build from scratch, and numerical modeling to interpret the experimental data. Before focusing on Titan and the outer Solar System, I studied the northern polar regions of Mars; specifically, surface-atmosphere interactions related to high albedo events from MGS TES data. I have experience with simulating and modeling surface-atmosphere interactions of cryogenic planetary environments, astrophysical ices, volatile trapping, photochemical modeling, and gas chromatography.

I am currently a Science Affiliate on the Europa Clipper mission working on the Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS) instrument, and a Co-I on the Trident mission concept to Neptune's moon Triton, proposed to NASA's Discovery Program. I was a science team member for the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) instrument onboard the Rosetta spacecraft orbiting comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko between 2014-2018. 

Notable Awards and Leadership

Year(s) Description
2014 - Present Reviewer for various NASA programs
2015 - 2018 Organized internal SwRI Space Science Seminar Series to promote collaboration, and dissemination of research among scientists.
2017 - 2018 Sigma Xi Scientific Honor Society

Scholarly Publications

Exogenic origin for the volatiles sampled by the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite impact

Nature Communications, 2022
K. E. Mandt, O. Mousis, D. Hurley, A. Bouquet, K. D. Retherford, L. O. Magaña, A. Luspay-Kuti, (2022), Exogenic origin for the volatiles sampled by the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite impact, Nature Communications , 13, 1, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28289-6

Single‐ and Multi‐Pass Magnetometric Subsurface Ocean Detection and Characterization in Icy Worlds Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA): Application to Triton

Earth and Space Science, 2022
C. J. Cochrane, R. R. Persinger, S. D. Vance, E. L. Midkiff, J. Castillo‐Rogez, A. Luspay‐Kuti, L. Liuzzo, C. Paty, K. L. Mitchell, L. M. Prockter, (2022), Single- and Multi-Pass Magnetometric Subsurface Ocean Detection and Characterization in Icy Worlds Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA): Application to Triton, Earth and Space Science , 9, 2, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021ea002034

Dual storage and release of molecular oxygen in comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

Nature Astronomy, 2022
Adrienn Luspay-Kuti, Olivier Mousis, Françoise Pauzat, Ozge Ozgurel, Yves Ellinger, Jonathan I. Lunine, Stephen A. Fuselier, Kathleen E. Mandt, Karlheinz J. Trattner, Steven M. Petrinec, (2022), Dual storage and release of molecular oxygen in comet 67P/ChuryumovtextendashGerasimenko, Nature Astronomy , https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-022-01614-1

The Role of Atmospheric Exchange in False‐Positive Biosignature Detection

Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 2022
Ryan C. Felton, Sandra T. Bastelberger, Kathleen E. Mandt, Adrienn Luspay‐Kuti, Thomas J. Fauchez, Shawn D. Domagal‐Goldman, (2022), The Role of Atmospheric Exchange in False-Positive Biosignature Detection, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets , 127, 3, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021je006853

Cold Traps of Hypervolatiles in the Protosolar Nebula at the Origin of the Peculiar Composition of Comet C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS)

The Planetary Science Journal, 2021
Olivier Mousis, Artyom Aguichine, Alexis Bouquet, Jonathan I. Lunine, Grégoire Danger, Kathleen E. Mandt, Adrienn Luspay-Kuti, (2021), Cold Traps of Hypervolatiles in the Protosolar Nebula at the Origin of the Peculiar Composition of Comet C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS), The Planetary Science Journal , 2, 2, 72, https://doi.org/10.3847/psj/abeaa7

An Exogenic Origin for the Volatiles Sampled by the LCROSS Impact

2021

Comparison of neutral outgassing of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko inbound and outbound beyond 3 AU from ROSINA/DFMS

Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2019
A. Luspay-Kuti, K. Altwegg, J. J. Berthelier, A. Beth, F. Dhooghe, B. Fiethe, S. A. Fuselier, T. I. Gombosi, K. C. Hansen, M. Hässig, G. Livadiotis, U. Mall, K. E. Mandt, O. Mousis, S. M. Petrinec, M. Rubin, K. J. Trattner, C.-Y. Tzou, P. Wurz, (2019), Comparison of neutral outgassing of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko inbound and outbound beyond 3 AU from ROSINA/DFMS, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 630, A30, https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201833536

Noble Gas Abundance Ratios Indicate the Agglomeration of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko from Warmed-up Ice

The Astrophysical Journal, 2018
O. Mousis, T. Ronnet, J. I. Lunine, A. Luspay-Kuti, K. E. Mandt, G. Danger, F. Pauzat, Y. Ellinger, P. Wurz, P. Vernazza, L. Le Sergeant d’Hendecourt, (2018), Noble Gas Abundance Ratios Indicate the Agglomeration of 67P/ChuryumovtextendashGerasimenko from Warmed-up Ice, The Astrophysical Journal , 865, 1, L11, https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/aadf89

Origin of Molecular Oxygen in Comets: Current Knowledge and Perspectives

Space Science Reviews, 2018
Adrienn Luspay-Kuti, Olivier Mousis, Jonathan I. Lunine, Yves Ellinger, Françoise Pauzat, Ujjwal Raut, Alexis Bouquet, Kathleen E. Mandt, Romain Maggiolo, Thomas Ronnet, Bastien Brugger, Ozge Ozgurel, Stephen A. Fuselier, (2018), Origin of Molecular Oxygen in Comets: Current Knowledge and Perspectives, Space Science Reviews , 214, 8, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-018-0541-2

Photochemistry on Pluto - I. Hydrocarbons and aerosols

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2017
Luspay-Kuti, Adrienn and Mandt, Kathleen and Jessup, Kandis-Lea and Kammer, Joshua and Hue, Vincent and Hamel, Mark and Filwett, Rachael, (2017), Photochemistry on Pluto - I. Hydrocarbons and aerosols, mnras, 472, 1, 104-117

Photochemistry on Pluto: part II HCN and nitrogen isotope fractionation

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2017
Mandt, Kathleen and Luspay-Kuti, Adrienn and Hamel, Mark and Jessup, Kandis-Lea and Hue, Vincent and Kammer, Josh and Filwett, Rachael, (2017), Photochemistry on Pluto: part II HCN and nitrogen isotope fractionation, mnras, 472, 1, 118-128

Isotopic composition of CO$_2$ in the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko measured with ROSINA/DFMS

åp, 2017
H"assig, M. and Altwegg, K. and Balsiger, H. and Berthelier, J.~J. and Bieler, A. and Calmonte, U. and Dhooghe, F. and Fiethe, B. and Fuselier, S.~A. and Gasc, S. and Gombosi, T.~I. and Le Roy, L. and Luspay-Kuti, A. and Mand t, K. and Rubin, M. and Tzou, C. -Y. and Wampfler, S.~F. and Wurz, P., (2017), Isotopic composition of CO$_2$ in the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko measured with ROSINA/DFMS, aap, 605, A50

Stability of Sulphur Dimers (S$_2$) in Cometary Ices

\apj, 2017
Mousis, O. and Ozgurel, O. and Lunine, J.~I. and Luspay-Kuti, A. and Ronnet, T. and Pauzat, F. and Markovits, A. and Ellinger, Y., (2017), Stability of Sulphur Dimers (S$_2$) in Cometary Ices, apj, 835, 2, 134

SUBSURFACE CHARACTERIZATION OF 67P/CHURYUMOV–GERASIMENKO’S ABYDOS SITE

The Astrophysical Journal, 2016
B. Brugger, O. Mousis, A. Morse, U. Marboeuf, L. Jorda, A. Guilbert-Lepoutre, D. Andrews, S. Barber, P. Lamy, A. Luspay-Kuti, K. Mandt, G. Morgan, S. Sheridan, P. Vernazza, I. P. Wright, (2016), SUBSURFACE CHARACTERIZATION OF 67P/CHURYUMOV–GERASIMENKO’S ABYDOS SITE, The Astrophysical Journal

THE ROLE OF NITROGEN IN TITAN’S UPPER ATMOSPHERIC HYDROCARBON CHEMISTRY OVER THE SOLAR CYCLE

The Astrophysical Journal, 2016
A. Luspay-Kuti, K. E. Mandt, J. H. Westlake, S. Plessis, T. K. Greathouse, (2016), THE ROLE OF NITROGEN IN TITAN’S UPPER ATMOSPHERIC HYDROCARBON CHEMISTRY OVER THE SOLAR CYCLE, The Astrophysical Journal

The presence of clathrates in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Science Advances, 2016
Adrienn Luspay-Kuti, Olivier Mousis, Myrtha Hässig, Stephen A. Fuselier, Jonathan I. Lunine, Bernard Marty, Kathleen E. Mandt, Peter Wurz, Martin Rubin, (2016), The presence of clathrates in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Science Advances , 2, 4, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1501781

Isotopic constraints on the source of Pluto׳ s nitrogen and the history of atmospheric escape

Planetary and Space Science, 2016
Mandt, Kathleen E and Mousis, Olivier and Luspay-Kuti, Adrienn, (2016), Isotopic constraints on the source of Pluto׳ s nitrogen and the history of atmospheric escape, Planetary and Space Science

A PROTOSOLAR NEBULA ORIGIN FOR THE ICES AGGLOMERATED BY COMET 67P/CHURYUMOV--GERASIMENKO

The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 2016
Mousis, O and Lunine, JI and Luspay-Kuti, A and Guillot, T and Marty, B and Ali-Dib, M and Wurz, P and Altwegg, K and Bieler, A and H"assig, M and others, (2016), A PROTOSOLAR NEBULA ORIGIN FOR THE ICES AGGLOMERATED BY COMET 67P/CHURYUMOV--GERASIMENKO, The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 819, 2, L33

Origin of molecular oxygen in Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

arXiv preprint arXiv:1604.08831, 2016
Mousis, O and Ronnet, T and Brugger, B and Ozgurel, O and Pauzat, F and Ellinger, Y and Maggiolo, R and Wurz, P and Vernazza, P and Lunine, JI and others, (2016), Origin of molecular oxygen in Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, arXiv preprint arXiv:1604.08831

Ion chemistry in the coma of comet 67P near perihelion

\mnras, 2016
Fuselier, S.~A. and Altwegg, K. and Balsiger, H. and Berthelier, J.~J. and Beth, A. and Bieler, A. and Briois, C. and Broiles, T.~W. and Burch, J.~L. and Calmonte, U. and Cessateur, G. and Combi, M. and De Keyser, J. and Fiethe, B. and Galand, M. and Gasc, S. and Gombosi, T.~I. and Gunell, H. and Hansen, K.~C. and H"assig, M. and Heritier, K.~L. and Korth, A. and Le Roy, L. and Luspay-Kuti, A. and Mall, U. and Mandt, K.~E. and Petrinec, S.~M. and R`eme, H. and Rinaldi, M. and Rubin, M. and Semon, T. and Trattner, K.~J. and Tzou, C. -Y. and Vigren, E. and Waite, J.~H. and Wurz, P., (2016), Ion chemistry in the coma of comet 67P near perihelion, mnras, 462, S67-S77

RPC observation of the development and evolution of plasma interaction boundaries at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

\mnras, 2016
Mandt, K.~E. and Eriksson, A. and Edberg, N.~J.~T. and Koenders, C. and Broiles, T. and Fuselier, S.~A. and Henri, P. and Nemeth, Z. and Alho, M. and Biver, N. and Beth, A. and Burch, J. and Carr, C. and Chae, K. and Coates, A.~J. and Cupido, E. and Galand, M. and Glassmeier, K. -H. and Goetz, C. and Goldstein, R. and Hansen, K.~C. and Haiducek, J. and Kallio, E. and Lebreton, J. -P. and Luspay-Kuti, A. and Mokashi, P. and Nilsson, H. and Opitz, A. and Richter, I. and Samara, M. and Szego, K. and Tzou, C. -Y. and Volwerk, M. and Simon Wedlund, C. and Stenberg Wieser, G., (2016), RPC observation of the development and evolution of plasma interaction boundaries at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, mnras, 462, S9-S22

Experimental constraints on the composition and dynamics of Titan's polar lakes

Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2015
Luspay-Kuti, A and Chevrier, VF and Cordier, D and Rivera-Valentin, EG and Singh, S and Wagner, A and Wasiak, FC, (2015), Experimental constraints on the composition and dynamics of Titan's polar lakes, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 410, 75--83

Effects of Nitrogen Photoabsorption Cross Section Resolution on Minor Species Vertical Profiles in Titan’s Upper Atmosphere

The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 2015
Luspay-Kuti, A and Mandt, KE and Plessis, S and Greathouse, TK, (2015), Effects of Nitrogen Photoabsorption Cross Section Resolution on Minor Species Vertical Profiles in Titan’s Upper Atmosphere, The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 801, 1, L14

Uncertainty for calculating transport on Titan: A probabilistic description of bimolecular diffusion parameters

Planetary and Space Science, 2015
Plessis, Sylvain and McDougall, Damon and Mandt, Kathy and Greathouse, Thomas and Luspay-Kuti, Adrienn, (2015), Uncertainty for calculating transport on Titan: A probabilistic description of bimolecular diffusion parameters, Planetary and Space Science, 117, 377--384

Composition-dependent outgassing of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from ROSINA/DFMS-Implications for nucleus heterogeneity?

Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2015
Luspay-Kuti, A and H"assig, M and Fuselier, SA and Mandt, KE and Altwegg, K and Balsiger, H and Gasc, S and J"ackel, A and Le Roy, L and Rubin, M and others, (2015), Composition-dependent outgassing of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from ROSINA/DFMS-Implications for nucleus heterogeneity?, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 583, A4

The Importance of Detector Acquisition Rate in Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography (GC×GC)

Separation Science and Technology, 2014
Ryan C. Blase, Kristie Llera, Adrienn Luspay-Kuti, Mark Libardoni, (2014), The Importance of Detector Acquisition Rate in Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography (GCtexttimesGC), Separation Science and Technology, 49, 6, 847--853, https://doi.org/10.1080/01496395.2013.866961

The Importance of Detector Acquisition Rate in Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography (GC x GC)

Separation Science and Technology, 2014
Blase, Ryan C and Llera, Kristie and Luspay-Kuti, Adrienn and Libardoni, Mark, (2014), The Importance of Detector Acquisition Rate in Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography (GC$times$ GC), Separation Science and Technology, 49, 6, 847--853

A facility for simulating Titan’s environment

Advances in Space Research, 2013
Wasiak, FC and Luspay-Kuti, A and Welivitiya, WDDP and Roe, LA and Chevrier, VF and Blackburn, DG and Cornet, T, (2013), A facility for simulating Titan’s environment, Advances in Space Research, 51, 7, 1213--1220

Experimental simulations of CH4 evaporation on Titan

Geophysical Research Letters, 2012
Luspay-Kuti, A and Chevrier, VF and Wasiak, FC and Roe, LA and Welivitiya, WDDP and Cornet, T and Singh, S and Rivera-Valentin, EG, (2012), Experimental simulations of CH4 evaporation on Titan, Geophysical Research Letters, 39, 23

Indications of brine related local seepage phenomena on the northern hemisphere of Mars

Icarus, 2010
Kereszturi, A and M"ohlmann, D and Berczi, Sz and Ganti, T and Horvath, A and Kuti, A and Sik, A and Szathmary, E, (2010), Indications of brine related local seepage phenomena on the northern hemisphere of Mars, Icarus, 207, 1, 149--164

Seepages and the astrobiological potential of polar dunes on Mars

Astrobiology: Physical Origin, Biological Evolution and Spatial Distribution, 2010
Kereszturi, A and M"ohlmann, D and Berczi, Sz and Ganti, T and Horvath, A and Kuti, A and Sik, A, (2010), Seepages and the astrobiological potential of polar dunes on Mars, Astrobiology: Physical Origin, Biological Evolution and Spatial Distribution, 97--113

Recent rheologic processes on dark polar dunes of Mars: Driven by interfacial water?

Icarus, 2009
Kereszturi, A and M"ohlmann, D and Berczi, Sz and Ganti, T and Kuti, A and Sik, A and Horvath, A, (2009), Recent rheologic processes on dark polar dunes of Mars: Driven by interfacial water?, Icarus, 201, 2, 492--503