Curriculum Vitae
Dr. James O’Donoghue
Date: May 23, 2024
Personal Details
Full Name: Dr. James O’Donoghue, Research Associate Professor
Nationality: British
Institute: University of Reading, UK
Email: james.odonoghue@reading.ac.uk
Expertise Keywords
Giant Planets; Jupiter; Saturn; Exoplanets; Upper-Atmosphere; Ionosphere; Magnetosphere, Rings. Astronomy; Spectroscopy; Coding; Science Communication; Animation and Teaching.
Academic Background
JAXA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science: Fellow
May 2019 - October 2023
Research aims: Mapping Jupiter’s ionospheric parameters, attempts to detect an exoplanetary ionosphere, and continued monitoring of Saturn’s ring rain.
Summary: Produced global maps of Jupiter’s ionospheric parameters showing heat redistribution from the auroral regions. Preliminary work on detecting the ionosphere of an exoplanet. Conducted first attempts to observe the charged water product, H₃O⁺, in Saturn’s ionosphere.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Fellow
January 2017 - March 2019
Research aims: Spacecraft-supporting observations of Jupiter & the effects of ring rain at Saturn.
Summary: Supported Juno mission with infrared aurora observations at Jupiter. Led the study that re-detected Saturn’s ring rain, estimating the decay and lifetime of Saturn’s rings (~300 million years).
Boston University: Research Scientist
May 2014 - January 2017
Research aims: Planet-wide investigations of Jupiter and Saturn’s ionosphere.
Summary: Discovered that Jupiter’s Great Red Spot heats the atmosphere above it. Studied auroral behaviors at Saturn and ionosphere dynamics at both Jupiter and Saturn.
University of Leicester: Ph.D. in Planetary Space Science
October 2010 - May 2014
Thesis: The response of gas giant ionospheres to their local space environments.
Supervisor: Dr. Tom Stallard
Summary: Observed Saturn and Jupiter’s infrared emission lines to detect the H₃⁺ molecular ion. Discovered the “ring rain” phenomenon at Saturn.
University of Wales, Aberystwyth: B.Sc. in Planetary and Space Science, First-class honors
September 2006 - June 2010
Dissertation: A Study of Lunar Impact Flashes
Supervisor: Dr. Anthony Charles Cook
Summary: Used two telescopes to observe lunar impact flashes caused by meteoroid collisions.
Data Acquisition
My career has advanced through my proposals and use of the world’s premier telescopes, on which I have been awarded over 100 nights of observation time as a Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on both ground- and space-based platforms. While my primary expertise lies in observing the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn, I have professionally studied every planet in the Solar System, the Moon, planetary satellites, exoplanets, stars, galaxies, and supernovae. My advanced coding experience in (mainly) IDL and Python allows me to convert raw astronomical data into scientifically analysable form.
Publication and Impact
I have published dozens of papers in multiple peer-reviewed journals as a first- and co-author, and am a co-author of two book chapters. These research outputs are often high impact (e.g., 3 first-author publications are in Nature) and receive much global press coverage, reflecting my strategy to prioritize the study of widely important physical processes.
Professional Service
I served as a panelist for dozens of NASA grant proposals and the NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowships. I have been (and continue to be) a reviewer for Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope proposals. I have peer-reviewed scientific literature for numerous journals and the Oxford Research Encyclopedia. I served as a co-convener six times at conferences (2016-2024) and a judge in student poster awards.
University Teaching and Mentoring
For three years, I taught practical lab-based classes, namely how to make and use telescopes. I helped teach mathematical physics and was responsible for grading assignments. I co-mentored a master’s student at Boston University (USA) and assisted in the work of an undergraduate research project at Tohoku University (Japan). I am also an external supervisor to a Ph.D. student at the University of Northumbria (UK).
Science Communication
I create animated videos used by schools, planetariums, museums, and universities worldwide, receiving over 300 million views online and generating hundreds of news articles. I have made five documentary appearances to date with state broadcasters like BBC, PBS (US), and NHK (Japan). In-person, I have presented at Astronomy on Tap in Washington D.C., given public lectures at the Royal Astronomical Society, and convened a session between the British Science Museum and the Japanese space agency. In 2021, I won the Europlanet Prize for Public Engagement with Science and was a finalist in the AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science in 2022.
Academic Background
JAXA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science: Fellow (May 2019 - October 2023)
Research Aims: Mapping Jupiter’s ionospheric parameters, detecting exoplanetary ionospheres, and continued monitoring of Saturn’s ring rain.
Summary: Produced global maps of Jupiter’s ionospheric parameters, observed the redistribution of heat, and attempted to detect exoplanetary ionospheres. Conducted early investigations into the presence of electrically charged water products (H₃O⁺) in Saturn’s ionosphere.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Fellow (January 2017 - March 2019)
Research Aims: Supporting spacecraft observations of Jupiter and studying Saturn’s ring rain effects.
Summary: Conducted observations of Jupiter’s aurorae as Juno approached, revealing solar wind-driven heating. Re-detected Saturn’s ring rain signal, estimating ring decay and planetary lifespan at 300 million years.
Boston University: Research Scientist (May 2014 - January 2017)
Research Aims: Planet-wide investigations of Jupiter and Saturn’s ionospheres.
Summary: Studied gas giant thermospheric heating, including the discovery that Jupiter’s Great Red Spot heats the atmosphere above it. Investigated Saturn’s auroral temperatures, densities, and emissions at high spatial and temporal resolutions.
University of Leicester: Planetary Space Science Ph.D. (October 2010 - May 2014)
Thesis: The response of gas giant ionospheres to their local space environments. Supervisor: Dr. Tom Stallard Summary: Observed Saturn and Jupiter’s upper atmospheres, focusing on H₃⁺ emissions and discovering the ring rain effect on Saturn.