Biography:
Dr. David Dubois is currently employed though the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI) working as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, in the Astrophysics & Astrochemistry Laboratory Group, with Dr. Ella Sciamma-O'Brien and Dr. Farid Salama.
David completed in 2015 a Master's degree in Planetary Science at the University of Paris-Sud (Paris XI), Orsay, France, while working on a tidal stress modeling research project at theJet Propulsion Laboratory in Dr. Robert Pappalardo's group. He subsequently received in 2018 a PhD in Planetary Science from the University of Paris Saclay, while working with Dr. Nathalie Carrasco at the Laboratoire Atmosphères et Observations Spatiales (LATMOS) in France and Dr. Murthy Gudipati in the Ice Spectroscopy Lab of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. His thesis work focused on simulating the neutral and ion gas phase reactivity, and stratospheric HCN ice photochemistry of Titan's atmosphere.
At Ames, David is currently investigating ion chemistry at low temperatures representative of Titan's upper atmosphere using the Cosmic Simulation Chamber/Titan Haze Simulation (COSmIC/THS). The setup consists of a pulsed discharge nozzle used to ionize Titan-relevant gases creating organic molecular ions, neutrals and radicals which expand in a free-jet expansion at low pressure and temperature. These organic compounds, the seeds of larger molecules and organic aerosols called tholins, are then analyzed through Reflectron Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (ReTOF-MS). He is also studying the equilibrium vapor pressure of organic molecules and the effects of their condensation on tholins, at temperatures relevant to Titan's stratosphere in Dr. Laura Iraci's Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratory. In parallel, he as been PI of two planned observational proposals for ground-based radiotelescopes. The current work carried out at Ames aims to be a support towards a better understanding of Titan's atmosphere thanks to the Cassini-Huygens mission. Titan is a unique world with a thick atmosphere composed of complex organic molecules and particles. Investigating Titan can also help us understand other organics-rich environments in space, as well as the primitive Earth, and possibly the organic matter that was present before life originated.
In his spare time, David practices and teaches the piano and Karate, indulges in stargazing, magical world cuisine, laughing, dancing, reading and space science outreach, sometimes all at once. He is also a NASA Solar System Ambassador and co-editor for the AstroPAH Newsletter.
David's major publications can be found on the Astrochemistry Laboratory's Publications Pages.
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