GHOSST Lab at Brown University

Geophysics of Stellar System Targets (GHOSST) Computational Laboratory in the Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences. Our focus is planetary geophysics and planetary science. Recent innovations in space technology have yielded considerable enhancements in the quality and quantity of data returned by planetary science missions.We capitalize on the unprecedented breadth of planetary data now available, by conducting research that integrates across traditional disciplinary boundaries of geophysics, magnetism, petrology, geomechanics, atmospheric/climate science, geodesy, geology, geochemistry, and biology.


Within the GHOSST Lab, we couple computational modeling and analyses with observational data to elucidate the complex histories of planetary interiors, surfaces, and atmospheres. Our research is primarily concentrated in three distinct, yet interrelated focus areas:

  • Evolution of planetary interiors
  • Mechanisms and processes operating on planetary surfaces
  • Planetary environments capable of sustaining life.
Credit: NASA/JPL Lab / Research

Ancient Venus Plate Tectonics Revisited

Our research, recently published in Nature Astronomy, sheds light on Venus, a planet with many mysteries. Despite its sweltering conditions today, we believe that in the distant past, Venus might have experienced tectonic plate movements similar to what Earth went through during its early days. This remarkable discovery not only enhances our understanding of Venus…

Lab

An SPA-Catalyzed Lunar Asymmetry

South Pole–Aitken (SPA) is the largest and oldest recognized impact basin on the Moon. Located on the farside hemisphere, SPA is nearly antipodal to the nearside geochemical province referred to as the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT). The PKT signifies an unexplained lunar surface compositional asymmetry of KREEP , a geochemical component named for its enrichment…

Variety of Known Exoplanets Personnel

Postdoctoral Position in Exoplanet Geophysics

The Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in exoplanet and habitability evolution modeling. Ideal candidates are those with experience in the development and/or modeling of mantle thermochemical evolution on planetary bodies. The successful applicant will be based in DEEPS and will work with a…