John is a research associate working with Carolyn Porco studying Saturn's rings. He tends to spend a lot of his time working on numerical simulations and generally coaxing computers to do what he wants, not what he tells them to do. Among the topics he is currently investigating are the role that structures in the rings play in influencing observed brightness of the rings, the relationship between waves on the edges of rings and the masses of the moons that cause the waves, the formation of small moons in or near the rings, Enceladus's role in the creation and morphology of the E ring, and particle spins. He is also frequently found helping to plan future Cassini science, especially for the extended mission. He received a BA in Math and Physics from Carleton College in 1999 and a PhD in Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences from The University of Colorado, Boulder in 2005. He lives in Boulder with seven guinea pigs, all named for minor bodies in the solar system, and cat, who is named for something completely different.
