Lujendra Ojha (b. 1990, ) is an American planetary scientist. He, as an undergraduate under the direction of planetary geologist

Alfred McEwen Alfred McEwen is a professor of planetary geology at the University of Arizona. McEwen is a member of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory where he directs the director of the Planetary Image Research Laboratory. He is a member of the imaging scie ...

, discovered compelling evidence that

water on Mars Although very small amounts of liquid water may occur transiently on the surface of Mars, limited to traces of dissolved moisture from the atmosphere and thin films, large quantities of ice are present on and under the surface. Small amounts of ...

includes current, seasonal, surface liquid

brine Brine (or briny water) is a high-concentration solution of salt (typically sodium chloride or calcium chloride) in water. In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawat ...

flows. He is currently an assistant professor of

planetary science Planetary science (or more rarely, planetology) is the scientific study of planets (including Earth), celestial bodies (such as moons, asteroids, comets) and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System) and the processes of ...

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

. He has also played in a heavy metal band, Gorkha.

Awards

*Special Recognition — Office of the Governor. Douglas A. Ducey (Governor, AZ) *National Science Foundation (2015) — Research Excellence Award *Lunar and Planetary Institute (2013) — Team-X Merit Award *University of Arizona (2012) — First Place in Physical Science Research. Annual Student Showcase. *University of Arizona (2011) — Honorary Presidents Award *Group Achievement Award: HiRISE Science Team, NASA (2011)Curriculum Vitae: Lujendra Ojha
(October 2015).

References

Planetary scientists Georgia Tech alumni Nepalese emigrants to the United States American people of Nepalese descent American scientists 1990 births Living people {{US-scientist-stub