Main profile

Guneshwar Thangjam

School: 

Earth & Planetary Sciences

Designation: 

Assistant Professor

Education: 

• 2015, PhD,   Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), Göttingen, and Clausthal University of Technology (TUC), Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
• 2008, M.Sc. Geology, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, UP, India
• 2005, B.Sc.  Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Yamuna Nagar, Haryana (Kurukshetra University), India

Specialisation: 

• Reflectance spectroscopy and planetary surface mineralogy
• Small bodies (asteroids, comets), meterorites, analogues and the early Solar System science
• Geochemical evolution model of small bodies and terrestrial planets

Awards: 

Recognitions & Related:

• Max Planck Partner Group, 2020, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften (MPG)
• Ramanujan Fellowship, Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, 2019 (declined)
• 'Returning Expert',  2019, a program under Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM) jointly run by GIZ and ZAV/BA, Germany, promoting knowledge transfer through migrants in their conutries of origin, and also providing top-up salary and relocation costs
• 'Outstanding Contribution in Reviewing', 2017, by Icarus (Elsevier) in cooperation with AAS's Division for Planetary Sciences, recognizing the contribution made to the quality of the journal
• NASA Group Achievement award, 2016, Framing Camera team, NASA Dawn mission to asteroids Vesta and Ceres
• Geologist, Geological Survey of India (GSI), 2012, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), India (declined)

Publications: 

Selected list:

• Thangjam G., Nathues A., Platz T., Hoffmann M., Cloutis E. A., Mengel K., Izawa M. R. M., Applin D. M. Spectral properties and geology of bright and dark materials on dwarf planet Ceres. Meteoritics and Planetary Science, doi:10.1111/maps.13044, 53 (9), 1961-1982.
• Thangjam G., Hoffmann M., Nathues A., Li J.-Y., Platz T. (2016). Haze at Occator crater on Ceres. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 833, L25.
• Thangjam G., Nathues A., Mengel K., Hoffmann M., Schäfer M., Reddy V., Cloutis E.A., Christensen U., Sierks H., Le Corre L., Vincent J.-B., Russell C. T., (2014). Olivine-rich exposures at Bellicia and Arruntia craters on (4) Vesta from Dawn FC. Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 49, 10, 1831-1850.
• Pieters C.M., Nathues A., Thangjam G., Hoffmann M., Platz T., De Sanctis M. C., Ammannito E., Tosi F., Zambon Pasckert F, J. H., Hiesinger H., Schröder S. E., Jaumann R., Matz K-D., Castillo- Rogez J. C., Ruesch O., McFadden L. A., O’Brien D. P, Sykes M., Raymond C. A., Russell C. T. Geologic context of unusual organic-rich areas on Ceres, Meteoritics and Planetary Science, DOI:10.1111/maps.13008, 53 (9), 1983-1998.
• Nathues A., Hoffmann M., Schaefer M, Le Corre L., Reddy V., Platz T., Cloutis E. A., Christensen U., Kneissl T., Li J.-Y., Mengel K., Schmedemann N., Schaefer T., Russell C. T., Applin D. M., Buczkowski D. L., Izawa M. R. M., Keller H. U., O’Brien D. P., Pieters C. M., Raymond C. A., Ripken J., Schenk P. M., Schmidt B. E., Sierks H., Sykes M. V., Thangjam G. S., Vincent J.-B., (2015). Sublimation in bright spots on Ceres. Nature, 528, 237-240.
• Platz T., Nathues A., Schorghofer N., Preusker F., Mazarico E., Schröder S. E., Byrne S., Kneissl T., Schmedemann N., Combe J.-P., Schäfer M., Thangjam G. S., Hoffmann M., Gutierrez-Marques P., Landis M. E., Dietrich W., Ripken J., Matz K.-D. & Russell C.T., (2016). Surface water-ice deposits in the northern shadowed regions of Ceres. Nature Astronomy, 1, 0007.

Detailed List:

• Google scholar (https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=ilANSnwAAAAJ&hl=en)
• Researchgate ((https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Guneshwar_Thangjam)
• ORCiD (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5697-112X)
• Web of Science ResearcherID: P-1489-2017

Research: 

Research & Interest:

• Planetary geology and early Earth geology
• Planetary mineralogy and morphology using spacecraft data (e.g., ISRO’s Chandrayaan, NASA Dawn, NASA Cassini, ISRO and NASA Mars missions, etc.),
• Asteroids & comets & meteorites & analogues and the early solar system science
• Geochemical and geologic evolution of planetary bodies
• Icy planetary bodies in outer solar system and analogues on Earth

Research activities and Participation:

• Team member, Asteroid Framing Camera (AFC), ESA's Hera mission to binary asteroid Didymos, to be launched in Oct, 2024 (AFC team, lead by Dr. Holger Sierks, MPS)
• Collaborator, Planetary Mission Concept Study / PMCS on dwarf planet Ceres, in preparation for NASA 2023-2032 Decadal Survey (PMCS team, lead by Dr. Julie Castillo-Rogez, JPL)
• Participating Scientist, NASA Dawn mission, first mission to largest asteroids Ceres and Vesta (FC team, lead by Dr. Andreas Nathues, MPS)
• Visiting Scientist, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Goettingen, Germany 
• Team member, Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Science Working Group, ISRO, India
• Member, External Advisory Board, Centre for Terrestrial and Planetary Exploration (C-TAPE), the spectrophotometry laboratory of Earth and Planetary sciences, University of Winnipeg, Canada (Director, Prof. Edward Cloutis)
• Reviewer of Nature Astronomy, Nature Communications, Icarus, Astronomy & Astrophysics

Phone No.: 

+916742494483

Extension: 

2483

Room No.: 

05

Mail ID: 

thangjam[at]niser[dot]ac[dot]in;; thangjam[at]mps[dot]mpg[dot]de

Other Links: 

Research Opportunities in planetary science

Available OPEN positions (last modified, 23-03-2020):

• Postdoc / Research Fellow / PhD student for 3+2 years, and Internship / Dissertation / Projects upto 6 months, available to work in an interesting Max Planck Partner Group project funded by Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften (MPG). The project is focussed on spectral analysis of ammoniated absorption feature on largest asteroid Ceres and their geologic and geochemical study using NASA Dawn data (Framing Camera /FC and Visible and Infrared Spectrometer / VIR). The expected outcome of this project is to understanding the origin of asteroid Ceres, whether formed in outer solar system and migrated later, or formed in situ at the present inner solar system location. The project is in collaboration primarily with MPS (Dr. Andreas Nathues), and also others (Edward Cloutis / University of Winnipeg, Canada;  Prof. Kurt Mengel / University of Clasuthal, Germany; Dr. Jean-Philippe Combe / Bear Fight Institite, USA). Salary/stipend are in accordance with NISER/DAE terms and conditions. The researchers will get the opportunity to work in an ambient international research platform and space, and opportunties to visit / travel the collabotaors and present their work in national/international conferences. Highly motovated researchers are encouraged to apply for this project.
• NISER postdoc postion for 1+1+1 year who will be interested to work in areas of surface compositional and morphological studies of inner solar system rocky and outer solar system icy bodies, geologic and geochemical evolution, planetary geology and early Earth geology, asteroids and comets, meteorites and planetary analogue/sample, etc. PhDs with Planetary Science / Geoscience / Physics / Chemistry or relevant background may apply. Candidates with good expertise and research quality in the mentioned areas are preferred. The position is for three years, subject to performance and review each year. Providing opportunities to work with various planetary science datasets in close collaboration with leading national and international institutes and experts in the field, and a Working culture with promising science results and publications in reputed peer-reviewed journals, are the mandate for opening the postdoc position. For more information, please contact via email, and details of the school and the advertisement are in https://www.niser.ac.in/notices/2019/recruitments/PDF-SEPS.pdf

• Internship / Project / Dissertation up to 6 months in areas of surface compositional and morphological studies of inner solar system rocky and outer solar system icy bodies, geologic and geochemical evolution, planetary geology and early Earth geology, asteroids and comets, meteorites and planetary analogue/sample, etc.  MSc / Int. MSc. or relevant students with Planetary Science / Geoscience / Physics / Chemistry may apply. The students will get the opportunity to work in one of the research topics using various planetary science datasets and software including remote sensing software like ArcGIS and Envi. The objective of the internship program is to deliver a start-up comprehensive project towards a future of scientific research and career in planetary science. For promising and exceptionally bright candidates, financial support and scholarship up to Rs. 5000 a month for 6 months are available. Interested candidates may contact me via email or pass by my office, with a CV and highly motivated Research Proposal or Idea.

Others:

• National Postdoctoral Fellowship (NPDF) call coming soon (open by 13 March 2020, and close by 13 April 2020). Interested candidates with PhD may apply. Please contact via email for detail discussion and plan
• Competitive Postdoc and PhD program, through other funding bodies or projects, are highly encouraged and suported to apply (e.g., India's or International program / proposal, etc.).
• NISER PhD postions from June/July, 2020, in areas of surface compositional and morphological studies of inner solar system rocky and outer solar system icy bodies, geologic and geochemical evolution, planetary geology and early Earth geology, asteroids and comets, meteorites and planetary analogue/sample, etc.
  MSc / Int. MSc. or relevant students, with Planetary Science / Geoscience / Physics / Chemistry, and also who fulfilled the eligibility criteria of PhD applicants as per NISER/DAE, may apply.