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Parvathy Prem

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Planetary Scientist
240-592-0225
  • Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering
    2017, The University of Texas at Austin
  • M.S., Aerospace Engineering
    2013, The University of Texas at Austin
  • B.Eng., Aerospace Engineering
    2010, Nanyang Technological University

Parvathy Prem’s research focuses on developing and applying computational methods to study solar system bodies and their interactions with the space environment. She is particularly interested in the wide variety of worlds that host rarefied atmospheres or surface boundary exospheres – from Mercury and the Moon to asteroids and outer solar system satellites. Current investigations include modeling the origin and transport of volatiles on the Moon and Mercury, and developing radiative transfer models to aid in the interpretation of remote sensing data at radar, infrared and optical wavelengths. Dr. Prem is a member of the science teams for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission and Surface and Exosphere Alteration by Landers (SEAL) payload, and a co-investigator on two teams (LEADER and ICE Five-O) of the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI).

Notable Awards and Leadership

Year(s) Description
2018 - Present SSERVI Volatiles Focus Group Lead
2019 Robert H. Goddard Exceptional Achievement for Science, Team Award to DREAM2

Scholarly Publications

Relative Magnitudes of Water Sources to the Lunar Poles

LPI, 2020
Lucey, PG and Costello, E and Hurley, DM and Prem, P and Farrell, WM and Petro, N and Cable, M, (2020), Relative Magnitudes of Water Sources to the Lunar Poles, LPI, 2326, 2319

Modeling the Polarimetric Response of Ice and Regolith in Bistatic Radar Observations of the Lunar Poles

LPI, 2020
Prem, P and Patterson, GW and Virkki, AK and Bhiravarasu, SS and Blewett, DT and Cahill, JT, (2020), Modeling the Polarimetric Response of Ice and Regolith in Bistatic Radar Observations of the Lunar Poles, LPI, 2326, 2099

The Surface Roughness and Volatile Content of the Moon: A Radar Perspective

LPI Contributions, 2020
Patterson, GW and Jozwiak, LM and Leeburn, JM and Stickle, AM and Cahill, JTS and Prem, P and Team, Mini-RF, (2020), The Surface Roughness and Volatile Content of the Moon: A Radar Perspective, LPI Contributions, 2241, 5158

The Evolution of a Spacecraft-Generated Lunar Exosphere

Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 2020
Prem, Parvathy and Hurley, Dana M and Goldstein, David B and Varghese, Philip L, (2020), The Evolution of a Spacecraft-Generated Lunar Exosphere, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 125, 8, e2020JE006464

Science from the Lunar Permanently Shadowed Regions

LPI, 2020
Hurley, Dana and Prem, P and Stickle, A and Hibbitts, C and Deutsch, A and Colaprete, A and Elphic, R and Li, S and Lucey, P and Liu, Y and others, (2020), Science from the Lunar Permanently Shadowed Regions, LPI, 2326, 1559

Mini-RF Global and Polar S-Band Maps of the Variation in the Moon's Regolith Dielectric Constant

LPI, 2020
Shukla, S and Maiti, A and Patterson, GW and Prem, P and Cahill, JTS and Thomson, BJ and Tolpekin, VA and Kumar, S, (2020), Mini-RF Global and Polar S-Band Maps of the Variation in the Moon's Regolith Dielectric Constant, LPI, 2326, 2509

Construction of a Goniometer Instrument for Imaging Polarization and Photometric Studies of Planetary Regolith Analogs

LPI, 2020
Blewett, DT and Basic, G and Knuth, AA and Newhook, J and Denevi, BW and Prem, P and Sato, H, (2020), Construction of a Goniometer Instrument for Imaging Polarization and Photometric Studies of Planetary Regolith Analogs, LPI, 2326, 1322

Mission to Characterize Volatiles in Old, Cold, Permanently Shadowed Regions on the Moon

2020
Blewett, David T and Cahill, Joshua and Chabot, Nancy and Greenhagen, Benjamin and Hibbitts, Charles and Klima, Rachel and Lawrence, David and Mandt, Kathleen and APL, Jorge I Nu~nez and Patterson, Wes and others, (2020), Mission to Characterize Volatiles in Old, Cold, Permanently Shadowed Regions on the Moon

Modelling the Physical Nature of Lunar Regolith at S-Band and L-Band Wavelengths Using the Chandrayaan-2 DFSAR and LRO Mini-RF Radars

LPI, 2020
Shukla, S and Maiti, A and Patterson, GW and Prem, P and Bhiravarasu, SS and Tolpekin, VA and Kumar, S, (2020), Modelling the Physical Nature of Lunar Regolith at S-Band and L-Band Wavelengths Using the Chandrayaan-2 DFSAR and LRO Mini-RF Radars, LPI, 2326, 2268

A Mission to the Lunar Permanently Shadowed Regions: Polar Ice Prospecting Explorer for Lunar No-light Environments (PIPELiNE)

AGUFM, 2019
Hurley, Dana and Colaprete, Anthony and Deutsch, Ariel and Prem, Parvathy and Stickle, Angela M and Hibbitts, Charles and Elphic, Richard C and Li, Shuai and Hosseini, Sona and Retherford, Kurt D and others, (2019), A Mission to the Lunar Permanently Shadowed Regions: Polar Ice Prospecting Explorer for Lunar No-light Environments (PIPELiNE), AGUFM, 2019, P33D--02

Latitudinal Trends of Anomalous Craters Observed with LRO Mini-RR Radar Data

LPI, 2019
Thomson, BJ and Bhiravarasu, SS and Nypaver, C and Neish, CD and Patterson, GW and Prem, P and Heggy, E, (2019), Latitudinal Trends of Anomalous Craters Observed with LRO Mini-RR Radar Data, LPI, 2132, 2855

Coupled DSMC-Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Modeling of Gas Dynamics in a Transient Impact-Generated Lunar Atmosphere

Icarus, 2019
Prem, P and Goldstein, DB and Varghese, PL and Trafton, LM, (2019), Coupled DSMC-Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Modeling of Gas Dynamics in a Transient Impact-Generated Lunar Atmosphere, Icarus, 326, 88--104

Observing the Radar Scattering (Phase) Function of Copernican Crater Ejecta with Mini-RF

LPI, 2019
Stickle, AM and Patterson, GW and Cahill, JTS and Prem, P and Team, Mini-RF, (2019), Observing the Radar Scattering (Phase) Function of Copernican Crater Ejecta with Mini-RF, LPI, 2132, 2937

Anatomy of the Lunar Water Exosphere

LPI, 2019
Hurley, DM and Prem, P and Benna, M and Vondrak, RR and Farrell, WM and Hendrix, AR and Lucey, PG, (2019), Anatomy of the Lunar Water Exosphere, LPI, 2132, 2547

Modeling Near-Surface Temperature Gradients and Thermal Emission from the Lunar Regolith

LPI, 2019
Prem, Parvathy and Greenhagen, Benjamin T and Yasanayake, Chanud N and Hanna, Kerri L Donaldson, (2019), Modeling Near-Surface Temperature Gradients and Thermal Emission from the Lunar Regolith, LPI, 2132, 2425

Modeling the Transport, Loss and Deposition of Water on Mercury

AGUFM, 2019
Prem, Parvathy and Hurley, Dana and McFarland, Elizabeth L and Chabot, Nancy L and Ernst, Carolyn M and Goldstein, David B, (2019), Modeling the Transport, Loss and Deposition of Water on Mercury, AGUFM, 2019, P11B--04

The Interdisciplinary Consortium for Evaluating Volatile Origins (ICE Five-O)

AGUFM, 2019
Gillis-Davis, Jeffrey and Ishii, Hope and Dominguez, Gerardo and Lucey, Paul G and Mitchell, Julie and Bradley, John P and Kaluna, Heather M and Li, Shuai and Ichimura, Andrew and Acosta-Maeda, Tayro and others, (2019), The Interdisciplinary Consortium for Evaluating Volatile Origins (ICE Five-O), AGUFM, 2019, P34B--01

Investigating Thermal Emission from the Epiregolith: Lunar Lessons for Applications to Airless Bodies

EPSC, 2019
Greenhagen, Benjamin and Prem, Parvathy and Donaldson Hanna, Kerri and Bowles, Neil and Lucey, Paul, (2019), Investigating Thermal Emission from the Epiregolith: Lunar Lessons for Applications to Airless Bodies, EPSC, 2019, EPSC--DPS2019

How hydrothermal vents affect water on Ceres

EPSC, 2019
Steckloff, Jordan and Goldstein, David and Prem, Parvathy and Trafton, Laurence and Varghese, Philip and Schorghofer, Norbert, (2019), How hydrothermal vents affect water on Ceres, EPSC, 2019, EPSC--DPS2019

The Lunar Volatiles Orbiter: A Discovery Mission Proposal to Determine the History and Dynamics of Solar System Volatiles Through Observations of the Moon

AGU Fall Meeting 2019, 2019
Lucey, Paul G and Petro, Noah E and Cable, Morgan L and Hurley, Dana and Barker, Michael and Benna, Mehdi and Dyar, Melinda Darby and Farrell, William M and Fisher, Elizabeth A and Green, Robert O and others, (2019), The Lunar Volatiles Orbiter: A Discovery Mission Proposal to Determine the History and Dynamics of Solar System Volatiles Through Observations of the Moon, AGU Fall Meeting 2019

The Lunar Volatile System in Space and Time: Supplies to the Lunar Poles

LPICo, 2018
Lucey, PG and Hurley, D and Farrell, W and Petro, NE and Cable, M and Dyar, D and Orlando, T and McCanta, M and Fisher, E and Hibbitts, K and others, (2018), The Lunar Volatile System in Space and Time: Supplies to the Lunar Poles, LPICo, 2087, 5015

Mini-RF S-and X-band Bistatic Observations of South Polar Craters on the Moon

EPSC, 2018
Patterson, GW and Prem, Parvathy and Stickle, Angela and Cahill, Joshua and Team, Mini-RF, (2018), Mini-RF S-and X-band Bistatic Observations of South Polar Craters on the Moon, EPSC, EPSC2018--729

Mini-RF Bistatic Observations of Copernican Crater Ejecta

LPI, 2018
Stickle, Angela M and Patterson, G Wesley and Cahill, Joshua TS and Prem, P, (2018), Mini-RF Bistatic Observations of Copernican Crater Ejecta, LPI, 2083, 1585

Modeling the Potential Radar Scattering Characteristics of Water Ice at the Lunar Poles

LPI, 2018
Prem, P and Patterson, GW, (2018), Modeling the Potential Radar Scattering Characteristics of Water Ice at the Lunar Poles, LPI, 2083, 2134

Perspectives on Modeling the Transport of Volatiles and Their Distribution at the Lunar Poles

LPICo, 2018
Prem, P and Hurley, DM and Patterson, GW, (2018), Perspectives on Modeling the Transport of Volatiles and Their Distribution at the Lunar Poles, LPICo, 2087, 5022

Lifetime of a Transient Atmosphere Produced by Lunar Volcanism

Lunar Polar Volatiles, 2018
Tucker, OJ and Killen, RM and Saxena, P and Johnson, RE and Prem, P, (2018), Lifetime of a Transient Atmosphere Produced by Lunar Volcanism, Lunar Polar Volatiles, 7--9

Volatiles on Mercury: Lessons from the Moon

LPICo, 2018
Hurley, DM and Prem, P and Vervack, RJ and Chabot, NL and Benna, M and Farrell, WM and Killen, RM and Li, S and Lucey, PG and Hendrix, AR, (2018), Volatiles on Mercury: Lessons from the Moon, LPICo, 2047, 6084

Water Vapor, Where Goest Thou?

AGUFM, 2018
Prem, Parvathy and Hurley, Dana and Goldstein, David B and Varghese, Philip L and Grava, Cesare and Retherford, Kurt D, (2018), Water Vapor, Where Goest Thou?, AGUFM, 2018, P12A--01

The Migration of Impact-Delivered Water to the Cold Traps of Airless Bodies

AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts, 2018
Steckloff, Jordan K and Goldstein, David and Prem, Parvathy and Varghese, Philip and Trafton, Laurence, (2018), The Migration of Impact-Delivered Water to the Cold Traps of Airless Bodies, AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts, 50

Exospheric Transport Processes of Lunar Volatiles

LPICo, 2018
Hurley, Dana and Prem, Parvathy and Farrell, William and Benna, Mehdi and Hendrix, Amanda and Halekas, Jasper and Retherford, Kurt and Grava, Cesare and Feldman, Paul, (2018), Exospheric Transport Processes of Lunar Volatiles, LPICo, 2087, 5013

The Influence of Surface Roughness on Volatile Transport on the Moon

Icarus, 2017
Prem, Parvathy and Goldstein, DB and Varghese, PL and Trafton, LM, (2017), The Influence of Surface Roughness on Volatile Transport on the Moon, Icarus

Modeling Radar Scattering by Planetary Regoliths for Varying Angles of Incidence

AGUFM, 2017
Prem, Parvathy and Patterson, G Wesley and Zimmerman, Michael I, (2017), Modeling Radar Scattering by Planetary Regoliths for Varying Angles of Incidence, AGUFM, 2017, P23G--04

DSMC Simulations of Volatile Transport in a Transient Lunar Atmosphere and Ice Deposition in Cold Traps After a Comet Impact

2017
Prem, Parvathy, (2017), DSMC Simulations of Volatile Transport in a Transient Lunar Atmosphere and Ice Deposition in Cold Traps After a Comet Impact

Modeling the Influence of Small-Scale Surface Roughness on the Lunar Exosphere

AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts, 2016
Prem, Parvathy and Goldstein, David B and Varghese, Philip L and Trafton, Laurence M, (2016), Modeling the Influence of Small-Scale Surface Roughness on the Lunar Exosphere, AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts, 48

Transport of Water in a Transient Impact-Generated Lunar Atmosphere

Icarus, 2015
Prem, P and Artemieva, NA and Goldstein, DB and Varghese, PL and Trafton, LM, (2015), Transport of Water in a Transient Impact-Generated Lunar Atmosphere, Icarus, 255, 148--158

The Transformation of the Lunar Exosphere by a Comet Impact

2014 AGU Fall Meeting, 2014
Prem, Parvathy and Artemieva, Natalia and Goldstein, David B and Varghese, Philip L and Trafton, Laurence M, (2014), The Transformation of the Lunar Exosphere by a Comet Impact, 2014 AGU Fall Meeting

Transport of Water in a Transient Impact-Generated Atmosphere

LPI, 2014
Prem, P and Artemieva, NA and Goldstein, DB and Varghese, PL and Trafton, LM and Stewart, BD, (2014), Transport of Water in a Transient Impact-Generated Atmosphere, LPI, 1777, 2742

Cometary Delivery of Lunar Water: Transient Atmosphere Dynamics and Deposition Patterns

DPS, 2012
Prem, Parvathy and Artemieva, NA and Pierazzo, E and Stewart, BD and Goldstein, DB and Varghese, PL and Trafton, LM, (2012), Cometary Delivery of Lunar Water: Transient Atmosphere Dynamics and Deposition Patterns, DPS, 401--03