Elise Wright Knutsen

Elise Wright Knutsen is a Researcher and Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oslo’s Centre for Space Sensors and Systems (CENSSS). Her work focuses on planetary atmospheres, particularly Mars, and space weather interactions. She contributed to NASA’s Mars missions and ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, and is part of the SuperCam instrument team on the Perseverance rover.

• Bachelor’s (2017) and Master’s (2019) in Physics from NTNU
• PhD in Astronomy/Astrophysics (2023) from Paris-Saclay/LATMOS
• Former positions: NASA Researcher (2020), ESA Intern (2021)

Her research interests span Mars auroras, planetary magnetospheres, and spectroscopic analysis. Recent work includes aurora detection on Mars (2025) and CENSSAT-1 mission concepts (2024). She actively engages in science communication through ‘Forsker på skjerm’ and public lectures.