Kevin Olsen

Dr. Kevin Olsen is a UK Space Agency Mars Science Fellow and Lecturer in Atmospheric Physics/Planetary Science at the University of Oxford's Department of Physics, based at the Clarendon Laboratory. His research focuses on Martian atmospheric chemistry using data from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), particularly the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) instrument. He holds a PhD from the University of Toronto (2016) and conducted postdoctoral research in Paris with Dr. François Forget and Dr. Franck Montmessin on Mars Express OMEGA data.

• Roles: Co-Investigator on the ACS instrument, leading studies of Martian trace gases like HCl and ozone.
• Key Contributions: Discovered HCl in Mars' atmosphere (2021), analyzed methane non-detections, and modeled chlorine cycling.
• Research Interests: Interactions between dust/aerosols and atmospheric chemistry, Martian climate dynamics, and surface-atmosphere exchange processes.

Recent work includes quantifying HCl's seasonal variability, linking it to water ice clouds and dust storms, and investigating its implications for Mars' geochemical history. Olsen has also contributed to understanding water loss mechanisms and isotopic fractionation in Martian CO₂ and H₂O.

• Awards: NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (Canada).
• Publications: Over 30 peer-reviewed articles on Mars atmospheric chemistry and instrument development.