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Project Ideas for Doctor of Philosophy in Planetary Science

Interdisciplinary exploration of planets, moons, and small bodies.

🏛 Introduction

UC’s PhD in Planetary Science melds geology, atmospheres, and astrophysics to probe planetary formation, habitability, and exploration targets.

💡 Suggested Project Titles

Thermal-evolution model of Europa’s subsurface ocean salinity gradients

Machine-learning crater counter for Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter imagery

Isotopic analysis of Martian meteorites constraining mantle degassing

Wind-tunnel simulation of Titan dune transport with organic sands

Spectral unmixing of lunar pyroclastic deposits using Chandrayaan-2 data

Lab impact experiments reproducing Bennu regolith cohesion under micro-g

Exoplanet phase-curve inversion retrieving cloud coverage on hot Jupiters

Magnetohydrodynamic modeling of Ganymede’s intrinsic magnetosphere

CubeSat concept measuring near-Earth asteroid YORP spin changes

High-pressure experiment studying water–rock reactions forming serpentine on Ceres

Citizen-science occultation timing for Kuiper Belt object shapes

3-D convection model of early Earth magma-ocean solidification

VR field trip comparing Icelandic basalts to Venusian analogs

Policy brief on planetary-protection protocols for sample-return missions

Radiative-transfer modeling of haze photochemistry in exoplanet atmospheres

Digital archive of Apollo seismic data re-processed with ML denoising

Public planet-walk installation scaling the solar system to city blocks

White paper on open-access mission data for Global South researchers

Symposium on ethics of off-world resource extraction

Educational kit teaching crater mechanics with household materials

University of California – PhD in Planetary Science

Explore worlds beyond Earth with UC’s mission-linked PhD.

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