Apurva Oza

Apurva Oza is a Staff Scientist at the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), with affiliations to the Europa Clipper Mission and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She received her B.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2012), M.S. from the University of Virginia (2014), and Ph.D. from Sorbonne Université/Observatoire de Paris (2017), followed by a postdoctoral position at Universität Bern (2017-2020).

Her research focuses on planetary evolution, atmospheric escape processes, and the physical interactions between stars, planets, and moons. Key areas include:

• Exoplanet and exomoon systems, particularly volcanic exo-Ios and ocean worlds
• Atmospheric dynamics of Jupiter's moons (Europa, Io, Ganymede)
• Alkali exospheres and thermal outgassing mechanisms
• Radio astronomy of exoplanet-exomoon systems

Dr. Oza's recent research has revealed important insights about atmospheric asymmetries on tidally-locked satellites, the evolution of exoplanet atmospheres, and potential detection methods for exomoons. Her work combines spacecraft data (JUNO/JIRAM), space observatories (Hubble Space Telescope), and ground-based spectrographs to study planetary evolution across timescales from days to billions of years.

Her scientific contributions include:

• h-index of 20 according to Google Scholar
• Multiple publications in high-impact journals including Nature, Astrophysical Journal, and Icarus
• Key contributions to understanding Europa's atmospheric asymmetries and Ganymede's tenuous atmosphere
• Leading research on the detection of exomoons through alkali spectroscopy

Dr. Oza has advised numerous students and early-career researchers on projects related to exoplanet atmospheres, volcanic worlds, and atmospheric escape mechanisms. Her current work focuses on the Europa Clipper Mission and the development of new methods for detecting exomoons orbiting close-in gas giant exoplanets.