Noriko Kita

Noriko Kita is a Distinguished Scientist and Director of the Wisconsin Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (WiscSIMS) Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She specializes in cosmochemistry and isotope analysis of extraterrestrial materials, including primitive meteorites, comet Wild 2 particles, and Hayabusa2 asteroid Ryugu samples. Her work leverages Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) for high-precision oxygen and Mg isotope studies, focusing on the formation conditions of early Solar System solids.

Research Focus: Noriko Kita develops in-situ micro-analytical techniques to investigate the timing and environments of chondrule, CAI (Calcium-Aluminum-Rich Inclusions), and micrometeorite formation. Her projects address Al-Mg chronology, oxygen isotope thermometry, and the evolution of the protoplanetary disk. She also supports external researchers through the WiscSIMS National Facility, funded by the NSF Earth Science Instrumentation and Facilities Program and the NASA Planetary Science Enabling Facilities Program (2025–2029).

Key Article Trends: Recent publications highlight her expertise in isotope systematics (O, Mg, Cr, Ti), chondrule formation mechanisms, and sample return mission analysis (Hayabusa2, Stardust). Topics span diffusive isotope fractionation, matrix effects in SIMS, and nucleosynthetic depletions in asteroids and comets.

Scientific Awards:

• Geochemistry Fellow (2022)
• Geochemical Society of Japan Award (2021)

Laboratory Leadership: As director of WiscSIMS, she oversees a National Facility for Stable Isotope Geochemistry, providing access to the CAMECA IMS 1280 SIMS for NSF- and NASA-funded researchers. The lab's $1,800/day instrument fee (excluding calibration) supports global extraterrestrial sample analysis.