Joseph G. O'Rourke

Earth and Planetary Scientist

Dr. Joseph G. O'Rourke is an Associate Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, specializing in the long-term evolution of Earth and other worlds.

Undergraduates

Current ASU students interested in planetary science research are more than welcome to contact me! We might be able to kickstart a small project. You’ll probably enjoy working with most if you have some background in math (calculus and differential equations) and physics (intro mechanics and E&M)—and if you’ve watched or read The Expanse!

Graduate Students

Click here for general information about SESE’s graduate program.

At ASU SESE, individual faculty essentially decide whether or not to admit individual students. (In contrast, some other programs decide to admit an entire cohort of students via a committee-based process.) Contacting potential advisors to see if they plan to recruit new students is usually a good idea. At the moment, I am unsure if I will admit any new students to begin in Fall 2027.

Postdoctoral Researchers

I am happy to collaborate on proposals for externally funded postdoctoral fellowships, including the SESE Exploration Postdoctoral Fellowship and/or opportunities via NASA and the NSF.