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Alexander Hayes is a Professor in the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University and the Director of the Spacecraft Planetary Image Facility. His research focuses on geological and physical processes that shape planetary surfaces and atmospheres, as well as the identification and characterization of potentially habitable environments within the solar system. Hayes has been involved in various flight projects including Cassini, Mars Exploration Rover (MER), Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), Mars 2020, and Europa Clipper. His experience extends to instrument design and characterization for programs with the Missile Defense Agency. Hayes is a recipient of several awards, including the Zeldovich Medal from COSPAR, the Ronald Greely Early Career Award from AGU, and the Sigma Xi Young Scholar Procter Prize. He holds an M.Eng in Applied Physics from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Planetary Science from the California Institute of Technology. His research methodology integrates spacecraft-based remote sensing to investigate planetary surfaces, interior interactions, and atmospheres, with recent studies focused on the coupling of surface, subsurface, and atmospheric processes on Titan, Mars, and Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. His team utilizes data from the Mars Rovers and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to explore the depositional and diagenetic history of early Mars, finding striking similarities to earthly sediments, which allow for the application of terrestrial sedimentology methods to Martian analogs.
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