David A. Rothery is professor of planetary geosciences at the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

, where he chairs a level 2 module ''Planetary Science and the Search for Life'' and a level 1 module ''Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis''. He serves on the Open University's Senate. From 1999 to 2004 he worked on the Beagle2 project led by

Colin Pillinger Colin Trevor Pillinger, (; 9 May 1943 – 7 May 2014) was an English planetary scientist. He was a founding member of the Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute at Open University in Milton Keynes, he was also the principal inves ...

. In 2006 he was appointed U.K. lead scientist for the MIXS (Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer) on the joint

European Space Agency , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...

JAXA The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into orb ...

mission to Mercury named BepiColombo. He leads the European Space Agency's Mercury Surface & Composition Working Group in preparation for the BepiColombo mission, which was successfully launched on 20 October 2018. He has been a guest several times on ''

The Sky at Night ''The Sky at Night'' is a monthly documentary television programme on astronomy produced by the BBC. The show had the same permanent presenter, Sir Patrick Moore, from its first broadcast on 24 April 1957 until 7 January 2013. The latter date ...

'', and is frequently featured or quoted in TV, radio, print and online news stories about planetary science, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis.

Education

Rothery graduated with a degree in Geology from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

(

Churchill College Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities. In 1958, a trust was establish ...

) in 1978, and completed his PhD in 1982 on applications of

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Earth ...

in the Semail Ophiolite in

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

Publications

* ''Moons: A Very Short Introduction'' * ''Planets: A Very Short Introduction'' * ''Planet Mercury: From Pale Pink Dot to Dynamic World''. * ''Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis: A Complete Introduction'' * ''Geology: A Complete Introduction'' * ''Satellites of the Outer Planets: Worlds in Their Own Right'' * ''An Introduction to the Solar System'' * ''An Introduction to Astrobiology''

References

Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Planetary scientists Academics of the Open University British volcanologists British science writers {{UK-scientist-stub