CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL AND PLANETARY SCIENCES 150-21
Christopher D. Parkinson
Phone: (626) 395-8862 (Work)
(626) 818-9293 (cell)
Email: cdp@gps.caltech.edu
Citizenship: Canadian
EDUCATION
Doctor of Philosophy in Earth and Space Science August 2002
York University, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Thesis title: Photochemistry and Radiative Transfer Studies in the Atmospheres of Jupiter
and Saturn (Available at http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~cdp/thesis)
Supervisor: Prof. John C. McConnell
Master of Science in Earth and Space Science March 1985
York University, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Thesis title: On Approximating Positive Solutions To Some Nonlinear Integro-differential
Equations
Supervisor: Prof. Huw Pritchard
Bachelor of Science with Honours April 1983
York University, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Major: Mathematics
Minor: Physics
Bachelor of Science April 1979
Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Major: Physics
RESEARCH HISTORY
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
Caltech Postdoctoral Scholar at JPL
Sept 2002-present
(1) Astrobiologist with the Virtual Planetary Laboratory at JPL
(2) Chemistry and hydrodynamic escape in H2 rich planetary atmospheres, with
emphasis on extrasolar gas giants and the early Earth.
(3) Enhanced chemistry and transport in the polar mesosphere of Jupiter and mesosphere
of Saturn using evidence from the helium airglow observed by Cassini
(4) Investigation of evolution 13C in the Martian atmosphere
(5) Deuterium and chemistry and airglow in the atmosphere of Jupiter
(5) Solar System D/H ratio
(6) First detection of H-Lyman alpha, carbon and oxygen on HD209458b with French
colleagues
(7) First detection of a solar system scale planetary auroral storm tracing a CME-driven
interplanetary shock from the Sun to Saturn
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91125-2500, TEL. 626-395-6112, FAX 626-585-1917
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL AND PLANETARY SCIENCES 150-21
Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, Observatoire de Paris, 98 bis. Rue Arago, Paris,
75014, France
Bourse Postdoctorale Chateaubriand Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
Jan 2001-April 2002
(1) Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer Team Member
(2) D/H ratio of the solar system
(3) Deuterium chemistry and airglow in the Jovian atmosphere
TEACHING and WORK EXPERIENCE
California Institute of Technology
Departmental Guest Lecturer
Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris
Departmental Guest Lecturer
.
York University
Departmental Guest Lecturer
York University
Teaching Assistant
Academic years 1980-1985; 2000-2003
 teach and tutor all areas of mathematics (Including statistics)
 tutor Economics, Including use of Minitab and some SAS
 teach and tutor mathematics for preparation for the GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, and
GRE
 conduct mathematics entrance exams and perform statistical analysis of results.
Terra Tech (my computer consulting company)
1995-2001
 Client-server, Object Oriented System Development, Dynamic Website
Development (PowerBuilder, C++, Oracle, Sybase, Watcom, S-Designor,
Hahtsite (proof of concept))
 Consultant with VISUAL Systems Development Group
 News Agency, Reuters
 Leading Telecommunications Firm, Lanser
 Government Agency, Atmospheric Environment Service
 Fortune 500 Oil Company, Payroll/HR application
Toronto Dominion Bank
Senior System Analyst
1993-1995
 downsizing payroll application from mainframe to unix platform (PowerBuilder,
Sybase, Watcom, DB2, Oracle, ER-Win, S-Designor)
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91125-2500, TEL. 626-395-6112, FAX 626-585-1917
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL AND PLANETARY SCIENCES 150-21


create manual cheque system
product analysis and recommendation (Including SAS)
SELECT ACADEMIC AWARDS AND HONOURS
2005
2001
1997
1992/93
1991/92
1976
Poste Rouge (April-June)
Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris
Bourse Postdoctorale Chateaubriand
Paris
Visiting Lecture Fellowship
I.A.S., Paris
NSERC Visiting Fellow at a Govt. Lab.
Toronto
NSERC Visiting Fellow at a Govt. Lab.
Toronto
Lakehead University Entrance Scholarship Thunder Bay
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
American Astronomical Society (AAS), Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS)
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
PUBLICATIONS (selected manuscripts available at
www.gps.caltech.edu/~cdp/papers)
C. D Parkinson, M.I. Richardson, and D. J. Hill, Time Dependent Hydrodynamic Flow in
Hydrogen Rich Planetary Atmospheres, Paper in Preparation.
C.D. Parkinson, J.C. McConnell, R. Prangé, and T. Fouchet, H2O and CO Distribution
with Hydrocarbon Photochemistry in the atmosphere of Saturn, Paper in Preparation.
D. Kass, C.D. Parkinson, Y.L. Yung, Evolution of 13C in the Martian Atmosphere,
submitted Icarus, Nov. 2004.
M. Barthélemy, C.D. Parkinson, J. Lilensten, R. Prangé, H2 vibrational temperatures in
the upper atmosphere of Jupiter, submitted A. & A., Oct. 2004.
C.D. Parkinson, Y.L. Yung, A.S. Wong, I. Stewart and J. Ajello, Enhanced Chemistry
and Transport in the Polar Mesosphere of Jupiter: Evidence from Cassini UVIS Helium
584A Airglow, paper in review, J. Geophys. Res. (Planets). Oct. 2004.
C.D. Parkinson, J.C. McConnell, L. Ben-Jaffel, A. Y.-T. Lee, Y. L. Yung, and E.
Griffioen, Deuterium Chemistry and Airglow in the Jovian Thermosphere, paper in
review, Icarus, Oct. 2004
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91125-2500, TEL. 626-395-6112, FAX 626-585-1917
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL AND PLANETARY SCIENCES 150-21
C.D. Parkinson, L. Ben-Jaffel, and J.C. McConnell, Deuterium Abundance from HD and
CH3D Reservoirs in the Atmosphere of Jupiter, paper in review, J. Geophys. Res.
(Planets). Oct. 2004.
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91125-2500, TEL. 626-395-6112, FAX 626-585-1917
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL AND PLANETARY SCIENCES 150-21
R. Prangé, L. Pallier, K. Hansen, R. Howard, A. Vourlidas, R. Courtin, and C. D.
Parkinson, Planetary auroral storms trace a CME-driven interplanerary schock from the
Sun to Saturn, Nature, 432, 78--81, 2004.
Vidal-Madjar, A., Desert, J.-M., Lecavelier des Etang, A., Hebrard, G., Ballester, G.E.,
Ehrenreich, D. Ferlet, R., McConnell, J.C., Mayor, M., Parkinson, C.D., Detection of
Oxygen and Carbon in the Upper Atmosphere of the Extrasolar Planet HD209458b, Ap.
J., 604, L69, 2004.
M.-C. Liang, S. Seager, C.D. Parkinson, A. Y.-T. Lee, Y.L. Yung, On the Insignificance
of Photochemical Aerosols in the Atmospheres of Close-in Extrasolar Giant Planets, Ap.
J., 605, L61, 2004.
M. Barthélemy, J. Lilensten, C.D. Parkinson, Modelling the Lyman Beta Dayglow in the
Jovian Atmosphere, A.&A., 423, 391--395, 2004.
M.-C. Liang, C.D. Parkinson, A.Y.-T Lee, Y.L. Yung, and S. Seager, 2003. Source of
Atomic Hydrogen in the Atmosphere of HD209458b, Ap. J. Lett., 596, 247, 2003.
C.D. Parkinson, V. Meadows, D. Crisp, Y.L. Yung, G. Tinetti, Astronomical Detection of
Biosignatures from Extrasolar Planets: Virtual Planetary Laboratory (VPL)
Architecture and Model Validation, Proc. AAS Bull., 2003.
W.E. Ward, W.A. Gault, G.G. Shepherd, I.C. McDade, M. Kowalski, D.Y. Wang, J.C.
McConnell, D. Michelangeli, C. D. Parkinson, J. Caldwell, N. Rowlands and S. Wang, S.
Bougher, and J. Fox, Design possibilities for a field-widened Michelson interferometer
for wind and temperature measurements in planetary atmospheres, 2003.
C.D. Parkinson, E. Griffioen, J.C. McConnell, L. Ben-Jaffel, A. Vidal-Madjar, J.T.
Clarke, and G.R. Gladstone, Estimates of Atomic Deuterium Abundance and Lymanalpha Airglow in the Thermosphere of Jupiter, Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 3177—3180,
1999.
C.D. Parkinson, E. Griffioen, J.C. McConnell, G.R. Gladstone, and B.R. Sandel, 1998,
He 584 Å Dayglow at Saturn: A Re-assessment, Icarus, 133, 210—220.
R.J. Vervack, B. R. Sandel, G.R. Gladstone, J.C. McConnell, and C.D. Parkinson, 1995,
Jupiter’s He 584 Å Dayglow: New results, Icarus, 114, 163—173.
C.D. Parkinson, J.C. McConnell, B.R. Sandel, R.V. Yelle, and A.L. Broadfoot, 1990, He
584 Å Dayglow at Neptune, Geophys Res. Lett.,17, 1709—1712.
J.C. McConnell, C. D. Parkinson, L. Ben Jaffel, C. Emerich, R. Prangé, and A. VidalMadjar, 1989, H Lyman--alpha emission at Neptune: Voyager Prediction, A. & A., 225,
L9—L12.
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91125-2500, TEL. 626-395-6112, FAX 626-585-1917
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL AND PLANETARY SCIENCES 150-21
PAPERS PRESENTED AT CONFERENCES
American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Science, Louisville, KY, 2004
American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Science, Monterey, CA, 2003
VPL Architecture, American Geophysical Union/European Geophysical Union,
Nice France, 2003
American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Science, Birmingham, AL, 2002
Deuterium in the Universe, Observatoire de Meudon,
Meudon, France, 2001
American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Science,
New Orleans, LA, 2001
American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Science, Pasadena, CA, 2000
American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Science, Madison, WI, 1999
American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Science, Padova, Italy, 1998
American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Science, Boston, MA, 1997
Non-Local Perturbation Techniques Applied to Radiative Transfer of Planetary
Atmospheres, Canadian Assoc. of Physicists, Vancouver, Feb.1989
Eddy Diffusion Coefficient on Saturn from He 584 Data, American Geophysical Union,
San Francisco, Dec. 1987
Fixed Point Solutions to the Nonlinear Boltzmann Equation, York University Summer
Science Symposium, 1985
PROPOSALS AUTHORED
Co-I, Contributing Author, HST-STIS, HST Cycle 13 Observations, November 2004
Physical parameters of the upper atmosphere of the extrasolar planet HD209458b
Co-I, Lead author, “Structure, Composition, and Evolution of Extrasolar Gas Giant
Planets”, TPF/Foundation Science NRA-03-OSS-01-TPF; TPF-03-0000-0039
Co-I, Contributing Author, HST-STIS, HST Cycle 12 Observations, November 2002
Co-I, Contributing Author, HST-STIS, HST Cycle 11 Observations, November 2001
Co-I, Contributing Author, FUSE, D/H Project – Observations Oct and Dec, 2001
Contributing Author, HST-STIS, HST Cycle 11 General Observer Proposal, STIS
Ultraviolet Spectroscopy to Uncover the Enigma of the Jovian Corona, 2001
Contributing Author, HST-STIS, HST Cycle 10 Observations, November 2000
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91125-2500, TEL. 626-395-6112, FAX 626-585-1917
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL AND PLANETARY SCIENCES 150-21
NAI (NASA Astrobiology Institute) COURSES ATTENDED
NAI Insight Course, Introduction to the Microbial World, August 2003
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91125-2500, TEL. 626-395-6112, FAX 626-585-1917
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL AND PLANETARY SCIENCES 150-21
REFERENCES
Prof. Yuk Yung
Professor
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA 91125
United States of America
Phone: 626-395-6940
Email: yly@gps.caltech.edu
Prof. Mark Richardson
Assistant Professor
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences,
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA 91125
United States of America
Phone: 626-395-1894
Email: mir@gps.caltech.edu
Dr. Mark Allen
Visiting Research Associate
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences,
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA 91125
United States of America
Phone: 626-395- 6970
Email: maa@gps.caltech.edu
Prof. John (Jack) C. McConnell
Professor
Department of Earth and Space Science
York University
4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
Canada
Phone: 416-736-2100 x77709
Email: jcmcc@yorku.ca
Prof. Sushil Atreya
Professor,
Director, Planetary Science Laboratory
1531B Space Research Building - 2143
Dept. of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences,
University of Michigan
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91125-2500, TEL. 626-395-6112, FAX 626-585-1917
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL AND PLANETARY SCIENCES 150-21
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2143
United States of America
Phone: 734 936-0489, Fax 734 936-0503
Email: atreya@umich.edu
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91125-2500, TEL. 626-395-6112, FAX 626-585-1917