Knicole D Colón
(Rsch AST, Stlr Galctic&Xtrgltc Astr)
| Email: | knicole.colon@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.286.4560 |
| Org Code: | 667 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 667 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: |
Brief Bio
Dr. Knicole Colón is an Astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. She is currently the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Operations Project Scientist and the Project Scientist for the Pandora SmallSat mission. She previously served as the Deputy Operations Project Scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the Deputy Project Scientist for Exoplanet Science for JWST, and the Project Scientist for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
Her research involves the discovery and characterization of extrasolar planets (or exoplanets), which are planets that orbit distant stars. She uses a variety of optical and infrared telescopes to study exoplanets, including HST, JWST, and TESS. Her research focuses on studying “extreme” exoplanets that are unlike any planets in our solar system, to learn about the composition of their atmospheres and gain insight into how they formed and evolved.
Current Projects
James Webb Space Telescope, Operations Project Scientist
Pandora SmallSat, Project Scientist
Positions/Employment
Research Astrophysicist in the Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory (Code 667)
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD
February 2017 - Present
Kepler and K2 Missions Guest Observer Program Office Support Scientist
NASA Ames Research Center - Moffett Field, CA
July 2015 - February 2017
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Lehigh University - Bethlehem, PA
September 2013 - July 2015
Postdoctoral Research Associate
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa - Honolulu, HI
September 2012 - September 2013
Education
2012, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, Ph.D., Astronomy
2009, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, M.S., Astronomy
2007, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ, B.S., Physics; Minor, Mathematics; magna cum laude
Awards
2023, NASA Group Achievement Award: ExoExplorers Team
2023, NASA Group Achievement Award: JWST Project Science Team
2022, NASA Agency Honor Award: Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal
2022, Robert H. Goddard Honor Award: Mentoring
2020, NASA GSFC Astrophysics Science Division Peer Award
2019, NASA Silver Achievement Medal: TESS Project Team
2019, NASA Group Achievement Award: Astrophysics Large Mission Study Team (LUVOIR)
2017, NASA Group Achievement Award: K2 Campaign 9 Microlensing Science Experiment
2016, NASA Ames Honor Award: K2 Mission Guest Observer Office Team
Selected Publications
Refereed
2023. "Two Warm Super-Earths Transiting the Nearby M Dwarf TOI-2095.", The Astronomical Journal, 166 (5): 195 [10.3847/1538-3881/acfa9f] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning.", Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 135 (1046): 048001 [10.1088/1538-3873/acb293] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "EarthShine: Observing our world as an exoplanet from the surface of the Moon.", Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems, 8 (01): 014003 [10.1117/1.jatis.8.1.014003] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Simultaneous Multiwavelength Flare Observations of EV Lacertae.", The Astrophysical Journal, 922 (1): 31 [10.3847/1538-4357/ac1946] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "An Unusual Transmission Spectrum for the Sub-Saturn KELT-11b Suggestive of a Subsolar Water Abundance.", The Astronomical Journal, 160 (6): 280 [10.3847/1538-3881/abc1e9] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "The First Habitable-zone Earth-sized Planet from TESS. I. Validation of the TOI-700 System.", The Astronomical Journal, 160 (3): 116 [10.3847/1538-3881/aba4b2] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Gravity-darkening Analysis of the Misaligned Hot Jupiter MASCARA-4 b.", The Astrophysical Journal, 888 [Full Text] [10.3847/1538-4357/ab59d0] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "KELT-9 b's Asymmetric TESS Transit Caused by Rapid Stellar Rotation and Spin-Orbit Misalignment.", The Astronomical Journal, 160 [Full Text] [10.3847/1538-3881/ab8fa3] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "The L 98-59 System: Three Transiting, Terrestrial-size Planets Orbiting a Nearby M Dwarf.", The Astronomical Journal, 158 (1): 32 [10.3847/1538-3881/ab2459] [Journal Article/Letter]