The Team – Current members
Mike Sori, Principal Investigator/Associate Professor
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Mike is an associate professor and planetary scientist at Purdue working on understanding the solid planets and moons of our Solar System through their geophysical attributes and processes. He earned his B.S. in Mathematics and B.A. in Physics from Duke University in 2008 and his Ph.D. in Planetary Science from MIT in 2014. He uses numerical models and data from NASA spacecraft in his research, and has been involved with NASA missions such as GRAIL, Dawn, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Aside from planetary science, Mike enjoys travel and playing with his black lab Apollo.
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The CV of PI Mike Sori can be downloaded here.
Ian Pamerleau, PhD Student
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Ian joined Purdue as a PhD student in 2021 after completing his B.S. in Mathematics and Geology at the University of Pittsburgh in 2021. His research interests include geophysics, planetary surface processes, and fluid flow. His current research project involves studying the icy crust of Ceres using observations from the Dawn spacecraft and numerical models. Outside the lab, Ian enjoys cross country running, fencing, D&D, and playing saxophone and guitar. His personal website can be found here.
Mariana Blanco-Rojas, PhD Student
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Mariana joined Purdue in 2023 as a PhD student after completing her B.A in Physics and Origins Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. She’s primarily interested in the geodynamics of the icy moons of the outer solar system, as well as what we can learn about planetary surfaces through the analysis of remote sensed data. Outside of academics, Mariana enjoys rock climbing, running, embroidering, and has recently gotten into birding!
Brianne Checketts, PhD Student
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Brianne joined Purdue as a PhD student in 2024 after getting her B.S., also at Purdue, double majoring in Physics and Planetary Science with minors in Astronomy and French. She has done research on the implications of dark halo craters on the Moon’s surface and is currently researching the paleoclimate record of polar ice deposits on Mars. During her free time, Brianne likes hiking, baking, and reading.
Abbey Dunnigan, PhD Student
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Abbey joined Purdue in 2024 as a PhD student after completing her B.S. in Physics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is interested in planetary interiors and uses gravity and topography data to study the crustal structure of rocky planets. In her free time, Abbey enjoys hiking, crocheting, reading, and playing the trumpet.
Jasmin Rodriguez-Sanchez, Undergraduate Student Researcher
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Jasmin is majoring in Physics Applied and Planetary Sciences. She is currently researching how impact craters can help reveal volcanic processes on the Moon. In her free time, she likes to craft, read, play indie games, and watch comedic movies.
Oviya Arulraj, Undergraduate Student Researcher
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Oviya is a junior majoring in Data Science-Computer Science and Applied Statistics. She is currently researching craters on Mercury and analyzing ejecta blankets. In her free time, she likes to listen to podcasts, read, and travel.
Apollo, The Lab's Lab
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Apollo received his training degree from PetSmart University in Tucson in 2015. He is interested in testing the strength of planetary regolith with his paws, conducting sample return of launched objects, and exploration of nearby geological landscapes. He is named after the program that sent humans to the Moon and is therefore very excited to be at Purdue University, Cradle of Astronauts.
Past members
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Kristel Izquierdo: Kris was a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue from 2021–2024 who worked on the interior structure, origin, and evolution of the terrestrial planets and our Moon. She is currently a research associate at the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Her personal website can be found here.
Stephanie Menten: Stephanie was a PhD student at Purdue from 2020–2025 who worked on studying the connections between interiors and surfaces on icy moons and ocean worlds in the outer Solar System. She is currently a Krimigis Postdoctoral Fellow at the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
Shivani Patwardhan (undergrad researcher, 2024–2025)
Eva Zhao Petrini (undergrad researcher, 2023–2024)
Will Vanderwarker (undergrad researcher, 2023–2024)
Neo Patel (undergrad researcher, 2023–2024
Imani Lawrence (undergrad researcher, 2021–2023)
Audrey Durham (undergrad researcher, 2022–2023)
Kyle Morin (undergrad researcher, 2022–2023)
Isabella Hampton (undergrad researcher, 2022–2023)
Katie Burkman (undergrad researcher, 2023)
Lauren Dickson (undergrad researcher, 2021)
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