Dr. Vladimir Airapetian is a Senior Astrophysicist at Heliophysics Science Division (HSD) /NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and Research Professor at American University, DC. He is a PI of NASA NExSS project “Mission to Young Earth 2.0”, PI of NASA Exobiology project on initiation of life on early Earth and Mars, PI of TESS Cycle 1, Co-I of HST-XMM-Newton project "Evolving Lives of Young Suns", Co-I of ISSI team, the member of Steering Committee at NExSS and PCE3 NASA Astrobiology Research Coordination Networks. Prof. Airapetian is a member of leadership team of Sellers Exoplanet Environment Collaboration (SEEC) team.
He is also leading an interdisciplinary team of heliophysicists, astrophysicists, planetary scientists, chemists and biochemists from NASA Goddard, NASA Langley, Harvard University and Tokyo Tech to understand how extreme space weather events from the active stars affect physics and chemistry of exoplanetary habitability. Vladimir Airapetian obtained his Bachelor in Science with major in Physics from the Yerevan State University and his PhD in theoretical astrophysics from Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory in Armenia. He has over 25 years of experience in theoretical astrophysics, heliophysics and astrobiology. Prof. Airapetian specializes in the MHD modeling of solar and stellar winds, extreme coronal mass ejection events from the current and early Sun and their effects on Earth’s magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere. His latest activity includes the application of state-of-the-art multidimensional heliophysics models to simulate environments of active stars and the young Sun to understand their impacts to the atmosphere of early Earth and Mars. These studies laid the foundation for the concept of initiation of biological molecules on early Earth and resolution of the Faint Young Sun’s paradox.