Dr. Kevin Grazier
Dr. Kevin Grazier earned B.S. degrees in computer science and geology from Purdue University, and a B.S. in physics from Oakland University. He earned his M.S. in physics from Purdue, and then went to UCLA to do his doctoral research in planetary physics, performing long-term large-scale computer simulations of early Solar System evolution. He currently works at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA, and holds the duel titles of Investigation Scientist and Science Planning Engineer for the Cassini/Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan. At JPL he has written mission planning and analysis software that won both JPL- and NASA-wide awards. Dr. Grazier also continues research involving computer simulations of Solar System dynamics, evolution, and chaos with collaborators at UCLA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the University of Auckland, Purdue University, and the Space Science Institute. He also serves on a NASA educational product review panel. In addition to his JPL duties, Dr. Grazier teaches classes in basic astronomy, planetary science, cosmology, and the search for extraterrestrial life at both UCLA and Santa Monica College. He is also a planetarium lecturer at LA’s famed Griffith Observatory. On a lighter note, Dr. Grazier is currently the Science Advisor for both the PBS animated series The Zula Patrol and the SciFi Channel series Battlestar Galactica.