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
• Mineralogy and geology of icy planetary bodies and analogues

Awards: 

Recognitions & Related:

• Ramanujan Fellowship, Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, 2019 (qualified)
• '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
• Asteroid (11806) Thangjam, formerly known as 1981 EF14, named by the International Astronomical Union (2017) recognizing the scientific contribution in NASA Dawn mission to asteroid Vesta
• 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

Recent Activities: 

NISER:

• Member, Library Commitee, NISER

Research and others:

• Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) Associate to NASA Dawn mission to largest asteroids Ceres and Vesta
• Visiting Scientist, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Goettingen, Germany
• 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
• Reviewer of Nature Astronomy, Nature Communications, Icarus, Astronomy & Astrophysics

Research: 

• Feb  2019 - present,     Asst. Professor, SEPS / NISER, Bhubaneswar; Geologic evolution of planetary bodies during early Solar System formation
• Sep 2016 -  Feb 2019, Postdoc, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Goettingen, Germany, in NASA Dawn mission to largest asteroid Ceres 
• Feb 2012  - Sep 2015, PhD, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Goettingen, Germany, in NASA Dawn mission to 2nd largest asteroid Vesta 
• Nov 2009  - Jan 2012, Research Fellow, Space Applications Center, ISRO, Ahmedabad, India, in Chandrayaan-I mission to Moon
• Mar 2009  - Nov 2009, Research Fellow, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India, in a university project about landslide and neotectonics

Phone No.: 

+916742494483

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

• 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. 

  NISER allows a stipend up to 5000 a month for 6 months. 

  Interested candidates may contact me via email or pass by my office.
• NISER funded postdoc postion 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 thangjam[at]niser[dot]ac[dot]in, and details of the school and the advertisement in https://www.niser.ac.in/notices/2019/recruitments/PDF-SEPS.pdf
• One Postdoc position or Research Associate postion in NISER/India & MPS/Germany (Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Goettingen) joint program in NASA Dawn mission for two years. PhDs with planetary geoscience / planetary science / geology / geophysics / geochemistry or relevant background may apply. The candidate is expected to work in Dawn FC/Framing Camera and VIR/Visible and Infrared Spectrometer data to address unresolved science questions on NASA Dawn mission. Candidates who worked in Envi/ArcGIS/ISIS are preferred. The candidate is expected to work both at NISER (under NISER/DAE/India rules and regulations, e.g., salary/stipend/leave, etc.)  ans MPS/Germany (under MPS/Germany norms, e.g., salary/stipend/medical, etc). The candidate will get the opportunity to work with Dr. Andreas Nathues, Lead Investigator, NASA Dawn Framing Camera and the team at MPS. The candidate is expected to work in close collaboration with NASA Dawn science team. Please contact me (thangjam[at]niser[dot]ac[dot]in) with your CV, research interest and plan addressing the scientific objective.
• Competitive Postdoc program, through other funding bodies or projects, are highly encouraged and suported to apply (e.g., India's SERB's N-PDF, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich / ETH's The Branco Weiss Fellowship – Society in Science, etc.).
• 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.