Dr. Aki Roberge is a civil servant Astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. She is the Associate Director for Technology & Strategy in the Astrophysics Division and currently serves as the interim Pre-Formulation Scientist for the Habitable Worlds Observatory mission concept.
Aki Roberge
(Astrophysicist)
| Email: | aki.roberge-1@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.286.2967 |
| Org Code: | 660 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 660 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: |
Missions & Projects
Brief Bio
Research Interests
Planet Formation
Astrophysics: Planetary Disk FormationStudy of planet formation through multi-wavelength observations of circumstellar disks of gas and dust around nearby young stars.
More info at my personal research webpage.
Mission Concept Development
Astrophysics: Technology & MissionsDevelopment of future space telescopes to observe exoplanets (planets around other stars) and/or perform ultraviolet astronomy.
Positions/Employment
Associate Director for Technology and Strategy
Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD
2022 - Present
Acting Deputy Director
Sciences and Exploration Directorate, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD
2021 - 2021
Discipline Scientist
Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters - Washington, DC
2020 - 2021
Research Astrophysicist
Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD
2008 - Present
NASA Postdoctoral Fellow
Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Lab, Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD
2005 - 2008
Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow
Dept. of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution for Science - Washington, DC
2002 - 2005
Education
- 2003: Ph.D in Astrophysics, Johns Hopkins University
- 1999: M.A. in Physics, Johns Hopkins University
- 1996: B.S. in Physics w/ Planetary Science minor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Special Experience
- Pre-Formulation Scientist (interim), Habitable Worlds Observatory (2024-present)
- Technical Assessment Group Co-Chair, Habitable Worlds Observatory (2023-2024)
- Study Scientist, NASA LUVOIR Mission Concept Study (2016-2019)
- Deputy Program Scientist, Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (2020-2021)
- Member, WFIRST Formulation Science Working Group (2015-2020)
- Member, NASA Exoplanet Probe Science and Technology Definition Team, Exo-S Mission Concept (2013-2015)
Professional Service
Selected Professional Service
- Core Team Member, NASA Science Mission Directorate Large Mission Study (2019-2021)
- Member, NASA Planetary Science Advisory Committee (2018-2020)
- Member, NASA Astrophysics Visionary Roadmap Team (2013)
- Member, NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) Executive Committee (2009-2013)
Selected Public Outreach
Selected Publications
Refereed
2025. "The Mega-MUSCLES Treasury Survey: X-Ray to Infrared Spectral Energy Distributions of a Representative Sample of M Dwarfs." The Astrophysical Journal 978 (1): 85 [10.3847/1538-4357/ad9251] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "Low CI/CO abundance ratio revealed by HST UV spectroscopy of CO-rich debris discs." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 531 (4): 4482-4502 [10.1093/mnras/stae1328] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Prospects for Cryovolcanic Activity on Cold Ocean Planets." The Astrophysical Journal 956 (1): 29 [10.3847/1538-4357/ace9b6] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "Modeling and performance analysis of the LUVOIR coronagraph instrument." Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 8 (03): [10.1117/1.jatis.8.3.034001] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "A Radiatively Driven Wind from the η Tel Debris Disk." The Astronomical Journal 162 (6): 235 [10.3847/1538-3881/ac21d1] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "A planet within the debris disk around the pre-main-sequence star AU Microscopii." Nature 582 (7813): 497-500 [10.1038/s41586-020-2400-z] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Multiple Rings of Millimeter Dust Emission in the HD 15115 Debris Disk." The Astrophysical Journal Letters 877 (2): L32 [10.3847/2041-8213/ab21c2] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "The Large Ultraviolet/Optical/Infrared Surveyor." Nature Astronomy 2 (8): 605--607 [10.1038/s41550-018-0543-8] [Journal Article/Letter]
2017. "Finding the Needles in the Haystacks: High-fidelity Models of the Modern and Archean Solar System for Simulating Exoplanet Observations." Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 129 (982): 124401 [10.1088/1538-3873/aa8fc4] [Journal Article/Letter]
2016. "UV Spectroscopy of Star-Grazing Comets Within the 49 Ceti Debris Disk." The Astrophysical Journal 824 (2): 126 [10.3847/0004-637x/824/2/126] [Journal Article/Letter]
2015. "Lower Limits On Aperture Size for an ExoEarth Detecting Coronagraphic Mission." The Astrophysical Journal 808 (2): 149 [10.1088/0004-637x/808/2/149] [Journal Article/Letter]
2014. "Molecular Gas Clumps from the Destruction of Icy Bodies in the β Pictoris Debris Disk." Science 343 1490 [10.1126/science.1248726] [Journal Article/Letter]
2013. "Herschel Observations of Gas and Dust in the Unusual 49 Ceti Debris Disk." The Astrophysical Journal 771 69 [10.1088/0004-637X/771/1/69] [Journal Article/Letter]
2012. "The Exozodiacal Dust Problem for Direct Observations of Exo-Earths." Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 124 799 [10.1086/667218] [Journal Article/Letter]
2011. "Herschel discovery of a new class of cold, faint debris discs." Astronomy & Astrophysics 536 L4 [10.1051/0004-6361/201117797] [Journal Article/Letter]
2010. "GAS in Protoplanetary Systems (GASPS): I. First results." Astronomy and Astrophysics 518 L127 [Full Text] [10.1051/0004-6361/201014595] [Journal Article/Letter]
2008. "Debris Disks around Nearby Stars with Circumstellar Gas." The Astrophysical Journal 676 509 [Full Text] [10.1086/527314] [Journal Article/Letter]
2007. "A Low-Mass H2 Component to the AU Microscopii Circumstellar Disk." The Astrophysical Journal 668 1174 [Full Text] [10.1086/521348] [Journal Article/Letter]
2006. "Stabilization of the disk around β Pictoris by extremely carbon-rich gas." Nature 441 724 [Full Text] [10.1038/nature04832] [Journal Article/Letter]
2005. "Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy and Coronagraphic Imaging of the TW Hydrae Circumstellar Disk." The Astrophysical Journal 622 (2): 1171-1181 [10.1086/427974] [Journal Article/Letter]
2004. "Evidence for wind and accretion in the Herbig Be star HD 100546 from FUSE observations." Astronomy and Astrophysics 418 (2): 577-591 [10.1051/0004-6361:20035598] [Journal Article/Letter]
2003. "FUSE observations of H2 around the Herbig AeBe stars HD 100546 and HD 163296." Astronomy and Astrophysics 407 935 [10.1051/0004-6361:20030924] [Journal Article/Letter]
2002. "Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer Observations of Possible Infalling Planetesimals in the 51 Ophiuchi Circumstellar Disk." The Astrophysical Journal 568 343 [10.1086/338877] [Journal Article/Letter]
2001. "Deficiency of molecular hydrogen in the disk of β Pictoris." Nature 412 706 [Journal Article/Letter]
2000. "High-Resolution Hubble Space Telescope STIS Spectra of C I and CO in the β Pictoris Circumstellar Disk." The Astrophysical Journal 538 904 [10.1086/309157] [Journal Article/Letter]
Non-Refereed
2019. "Telling the story of life in the cosmos: the LUVOIR telescope concepts." SPIE UV/Optical/IR Space Telescopes and Instruments: Innovative Technologies and Concepts IX 11115 111150O [10.1117/12.2530475] [Proceedings]
2009. "Exoplanet Characterization and the Search for Life." astro2010: The Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey 2010 151 [Proceedings]
2009. "THEIA: Telescope for Habitable Exoplanets and Interstellar/Intergalactic Astronomy." American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #45804; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol 41, p362 213 362 [Full Text] [Proceedings]