Atmospheric and Planetary Science

Dr. William B. Moore is internationally recognized for his expertise in planetary thermal and tidal dynamics. His research looks outward to our planetary neighbors to illuminate this planet’s deep past and understand what made the Earth such an interesting and dynamic place, and, of course, the only living planet. His study of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io has led to the discovery of a new phase of terrestrial planet evolution, the heat-pipe era, that operated on Earth for roughly a billion years after its formation and that applied to each of the terrestrial planets early in their histories. He has participated in spacecraft missions to Venus (Magellan) and Jupiter (Galileo and ESA’s upcoming JUICE mission) and is co-founder of the Hampton University Severe Weather Research Center.

Dr. Moore’s scientific accomplishments include 60 refereed publications including first-author papers at Science and Nature, six collaborative papers with over 200 citations each and three first author papers with over 100 citations each. In addition to publishing widely recognized work, Dr. Moore is extending his research portfolio to extrasolar planets and planetary atmospheric evolution and dynamics. Dr. Moore’s work is interdisciplinary and interplanetary, bringing Earth, planetary, and space science together to address important questions about our planet and its ability to support life.

Dr. Moore serves on numerous committees in service to the scientific community on behalf of NASA, the National Academy of Science, and Hampton University. As part of the founding steering committee for the Outer Planets Assessment Group, he helped gather and synthesize community input on the future of Outer Planet exploration. He served as a panelist conducting the National Academy’s 2003 Solar System Exploration Decadal Survey, and also on the mid-term review of that survey, helping to assess the effectiveness of the survey process and NASA’s responsiveness to the recommendations. This review resulted in a revised process for the subsequent decadal panel. Currently, Dr. Moore represents Hampton University on the Southeastern Universities Research Association Board of Trustees, where he also chairs the Space Science and Technology committee.

Dr. Moore is dedicated to the diversification of the nation’s research enterprise and the equal distribution of its educational and scientific benefits. He is passionate about outreach and
has appeared on award-winning national and local television productions, radio, online, and in print interviews to share his enthusiasm for science and for planetary exploration in particular. He regularly leads public astronomy events in the community and at regional schools.