Dr. Raymond Jeanloz

Biography

Raymond Jeanloz uses mineral physics to understand the properties and dynamics of planetary interiors. His group pioneered the combination of diamond anvils and laser-driven compression to provide laboratory access to atomic-scale pressures (0.3 Gbar) and new states of chemical bonding, termed "kilovolt chemistry." He leads university teams that perform experiments at the National Ignition Facility and serves as an Editor for the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences. His research has provided experimental constraints on the temperature at Earth's center, revealing it to be higher than previously thought and documenting the existence of a single perovskite-structured mineral that is stable at pressures of 20 GPa, contributing to insights about the planet's rocky interior. His team has shown that Earth's deep mantle reacts chemically with a liquid iron alloy from the outer core, further identifying the core-mantle boundary in Earth's dynamic regions. His studies on carbon suggest similar diamond formations occurring on planets like Neptune and Uranus. With a PhD from the California Institute of Technology, he has held a faculty position at Harvard University before joining the University of California at Berkeley. Beyond teaching and research, he has been a longstanding adviser to the U.S. Government on topics ranging from Earth science and science education to national security. He has served as chair of the National Research Council's Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, is a fellow of several prestigious organizations, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He is currently an Annenberg Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution and plays an advisory role in international security matters.

Research Interests