Dr. Alex J. Evans is a planetary scientist, engineer, and space consultant whose work connects deep-space research with strategic planning and public impact. As the Founder and Director of LunaSCOPE, a $7.5 M NASA-funded research node supporting Artemis science, he leads interdisciplinary teams that shape lunar exploration priorities.
At Brown University, Evans serves as the Thomas J. and Alice M. Tisch Assistant Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, where he investigates the evolution of planetary interiors and the strategies that enable successful exploration. His research has informed NASA missions such as MESSENGER, GRAIL, and Artemis, and his consulting work helps agencies and institutions align scientific discovery with mission success.
| Jones MJ, Evans AJ, Johnson BC, Weller MB, Andrews-Hanna JC, Tikoo SM, Keane JT. "A South Pole-Aitken impact origin of the lunar compositional asymmetry." Science Advances, vol. 8, no. 14, 2022, pp. eabm8475. |
| Evans, Alexander J., Tikoo, Sonia M. "An episodic high-intensity lunar core dynamo." Nature Astronomy, 2022. |
| Tikoo, Sonia M., Evans, Alexander J. "Dynamos in the Inner Solar System." Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, vol. 50, no. 1, 2021. |
| Bjonnes, E., Johnson, B. C., Evans, A. J. "Estimating Venusian thermal conditions using multiring basin morphology." Nature Astronomy, vol. 5, no. 5, 2021, pp. 498-502. |
| Moriarty, D. P., Watkins, R. N., Valencia, S. N., Kendall, J. D., Evans, A. J., Dygert, N., Petro, N. E. "Evidence for a Stratified Upper Mantle Preserved Within the South Pole‐Aitken Basin." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, vol. 126, no. 1, 2021. |
| Evans, A. J. "The GRAIL Mission." Encyclopedia of Lunar Science, edited by Brian Cudnik, Springer International Publishing, 2021. |
| Johnson, Brandon C., Sori, Michael M., Evans, Alexander J. "Ferrovolcanism on metal worlds and the origin of pallasites." Nature Astronomy, vol. 4, no. 1, 2019, pp. 41-44. |
| Momper L, Hu E, Moore KR, Skoog EJ, Tyler M, Evans AJ, Bosak T. "Metabolic versatility in a modern lineage of cyanobacteria from terrestrial hot springs." Free Radical Biology and Medicine, vol. 140, 2019, pp. 224-232. |
| Evans, Alexander J., Andrews-Hanna, Jeffrey C., Head, James W., Soderblom, Jason M., Solomon, Sean C., Zuber, Maria T. "Reexamination of Early Lunar Chronology With GRAIL Data: Terranes, Basins, and Impact Fluxes." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, vol. 123, no. 7, 2018, pp. 1596-1617. |
| Evans, Alexander J., Tikoo, Sonia M., Andrews-Hanna, Jeffrey C. "The Case Against an Early Lunar Dynamo Powered by Core Convection." Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 45, no. 1, 2018, pp. 98-107. |
| Evans, Alexander J., Soderblom, Jason M., Andrews-Hanna, Jeffrey C., Solomon, Sean C., Zuber, Maria T. "Identification of buried lunar impact craters from GRAIL data and implications for the nearside maria." Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 43, no. 6, 2016, pp. 2445-2455. |
| Byrne, Paul K., Ostrach, Lillian R., Fassett, Caleb I., Chapman, Clark R., Denevi, Brett W., Evans, Alexander J., Klimczak, Christian, Banks, Maria E., Head, James W., Solomon, Sean C. "Widespread effusive volcanism on Mercury likely ended by about 3.5 Ga." Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 43, no. 14, 2016, pp. 7408-7416. |
| Soderblom, Jason M., Evans, Alexander J., Johnson, Brandon C., Melosh, H. Jay, Miljković, Katarina, Phillips, Roger J., Andrews-Hanna, Jeffrey C., Bierson, Carver J., Head, James W., Milbury, Colleen, Neumann, Gregory A., Nimmo, Francis, Smith, David E., Solomon, Sean C., Sori, Michael M., Wieczorek, Mark A., Zuber, Maria T. "The fractured Moon: Production and saturation of porosity in the lunar highlands from impact cratering." Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 42, no. 17, 2015, pp. 6939-6944. |
| Evans, A. J., Zuber, M. T., Weiss, B. P., Tikoo, S. M. "A wet, heterogeneous lunar interior: Lower mantle and core dynamo evolution." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, vol. 119, no. 5, 2014, pp. 1061-1077. |
| Bosak, T., Liang, B., Wu, T.-D., Templer, S. P., Evans, A., Vali, H., Guerquin-Kern, J.-L., Klepac-Ceraj, V., Sim, M. S., Mui, J. "Cyanobacterial diversity and activity in modern conical microbialites." Geobiology, vol. 10, no. 5, 2012, pp. 384-401. |
| Sim, Min Sub, Liang, Biqing, Petroff, Alexander P., Evans, Alexander, Klepac-Ceraj, Vanja, Flannery, David T., Walter, Malcolm R., Bosak, Tanja. "Oxygen-Dependent Morphogenesis of Modern Clumped Photosynthetic Mats and Implications for the Archean Stromatolite Record." Geosciences, vol. 2, no. 4, 2012, pp. 235-259. |
| Evans, A. J., Andrews-Hanna, J. C., Zuber, M. T. "Geophysical limitations on the erosion history within Arabia Terra." Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 115, no. E5, 2010. |
| Sturm II, E. J., M. Deutsch, C. Harmon, R. Nakagawat, R. Kinsey, N. Lopez, P. Kurdle, and A. J. Evans. "Mission Options Scoping Tool for Mars Orbiters: Mass-Cost Calculator." National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2007, pp. 14. |
My group develops numerical and analytical models of planetary interiors and surface processes to investigate the thermal and mechanical evolution of the Moon and other terrestrial bodies. Through the LunaSCOPE initiative and collaborations across NASA centers, we connect fundamental science with actionable exploration strategy — helping define priorities for future missions. This work also informs my broader role advising agencies and research institutions on science planning, proposal development, and cross-disciplinary coordination.
| Year | Degree | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | MS | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 2013 | PhD | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 2006 | BS | University of Michigan Ann Arbor |
| EEPS 0050 - Mars, Moon, and the Earth |
| EEPS 1390 - Planetary Surface Processes |
| EEPS 1745 - Planetary System Design: A Team Project Course |
| EEPS 1810 - Physics of Planetary Evolution |
| EEPS 2910H - Geophysical Phenomena Across the Solar System |
| GEOL 1950H - Gravitational Fields and Data Analyses |
| GEOL 2400 - Life Beyond Earth |
| GEOL 2910H - Geophysics of the Inner Solar System |
