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Paul Bonney

Photo of Paul Bonney

Address:

4800 Oak Grove Drive

Pasadena, CA 91109

Curriculum Vitae:

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Member of:

Exoplanet Discovery and Science

JPL Postdoc

Biography

One of my earliest memories is gathering at a park in Arkansas to watch the Halle-Bopp comet during its passing. I have always been fascinated with space, and working to uncover its mysteries is an enormous privilege for me. Exoplanets have since captured my imagination for the possibility that they might answer some of humanity’s biggest questions.

I am a recent graduate from The University of Arkansas with a PhD in Physics. My dissertation work assessed the potential habitability of temperate, terrestrial exoplanets through modeling and observation. Before accepting a Postdoc position at JPL, I was working for the Pandora smallsat mission on creating scheduling software, aiding in target selection, and writing controlling documentation. Now, I work on the other end of the exoplanet spectrum by modeling the atmospheres and climates of Hot Jupiters.

Education

  • 2016-2022; Ph.D. Physics, Conc. Astrophysics; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR. Dissertation: Probing the Atmospheric Composition and Structure of Terrestrial Exoplanets and Exploring Their Potential Habitability. Dissertation Advisor: Julia Kennefick
  • 2012-2016; B.S. Mathematics, Minor: Physics; Millsaps College, Jackson, MS. Undergraduate Thesis: Analysis of a 1-Dimenional Risk Board Using Markov Chains

Professional Experience

For my PhD, I worked on creating a flexible method to probabilistically assess exoplanet habitability as part of a FINESST grant. After graduating, I worked as a Research Scientist with the SETI Institute on the Pandora smallsat mission until accepting this position at JPL.

Community Service

During graduate school at the University of Arkansas, I took part in our Astronomy outreach organization SPACEHogs which hosts Astronomy-related events for local schools, children’s groups such as BSA, and the public. I also created the Physics department’s Department Student Organization and served as its Representative to the GPSC before being elected as Treasurer of the GPSC.

Research Interests

I am interested in answering the questions “How did we get here?” and “Are we alone?” through modeling the atmospheres and climates of all shapes and sizes of exoplanets in tandem with observations.

Selected Awards

  • Outstanding Registered Student Organization Service Program as part of the SPACEHogs organization at the University of Arkansas.
  • Graduate-Professional Student Congress (GPSC) Leadership Award for contributions as Treasurer of the University of Arkansas GPSC.

Selected Publications

  1. On The Hydrosphere Stability of TESS Targets: Applications to 700 d, 256 b, and 203 b: Bonney & Kennefick, The Planetary Science Journal , vol. 3, no. 8, 2022.doi:10.3847/PSJ/ac8669.
  2. 238th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society: Bonney & Kennefick, 2021. “Potential Hydrosphere Stability of TESS Objects of Interest700, 256, and 203”. AAS 238, 53, 6. Bibcode: 2021AAS...23810807B
  3. EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019: Bonney & Kennefick, 2019. “Probability of Earth Similarity for the Current TESS Planet Candidates”. EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019, EPSC-DPS2019-1090. Bibcode: 2019EPSC...13.1090B
  4. 234th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society: Bonney, 2019. “A Survey of the Habitability of TESS Planet Candidates”. AAS 234, 51, 4.Bibcode: 2019AAS...23410502B