Overview
Jonas Biren is a postdoctoral scientist exploring the composition of extrasolar lava planets using an experimental approach. It means that he uses his background in volcanology and physics (PhD at the Earth Sciences Institute of Orléans University, France) in the laboratory to analyze and synthesize rocky samples with composition similar to that of lava worlds. He then observes the evolution of their radiative properties (emissivity, reflectivity) with temperature using Fourier-Transform InfraRed spectrometers. These data are critical to improve the interpretations of the thermal and chemical history of exoplanets observed by James Webb Space Telescope, work that he carries out with Prof. Lisa Kaltenegger and the support of a NASA XRP grant