Overview of research interests

September 2015 by me

My main research interests have varied over the years. I used to be very active in the dynamical evolution of the outer Solar System, but have recently sought warmer pastures closer to the Sun. My main focus now is on terrestrial planet formation and placing Venus, Earth and Mars in context. Some day I wish to extend this to the formation of extrasolar systems. My main topics are:

• Terrestrial planet formation
• Dynamical evolution of the inner Solar System
• The onset, duration and intensity of the Late Heavy Bombardment
• The delivery of biogenic species to the terrestrial planets
• Whether Venus and Mars have ever developed a biosphere.
• What makes a planet habitable?

The above research interests are pertinent to the mission of ELSI. I am also active in other topics, though these mostly churn on the back burner and progress is slow or stagnant. These include, but are not limited to:

• Formation and dynamical stability of compact extrasolar planetary systems
• The development of a MEGNO version of the SWIFT MVS integrator
• The migration of the giant planets and structure of the trans-Neptunian region
• The formation and evolution of the inner Oort cloud

I am always looking for collaborators to assist me with the above projects.