Oliver White

Affiliation: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute

Division: Space Science and Astrobiology Division (ST)

Branch: Planetary Systems Branch (STT)

Email: oliver.l.white@nasa.gov

Phone: 650-604-0787

Professional Biography

Dr. Oliver White’s research has focused on a range of topics concerning the topographic characterization and geologic evolution of planetary landscapes. His PhD research at University College London (2006-2010) encompassed a number of topics that were related to the goal of gauging the influence of environmental conditions on volcanic processes on Mars and Venus. This research included compiling global catalogues of 20-100 km diameter volcanoes on these two planets; organizing two expeditions to Iceland to perform ground penetrating radar surveys across Mars-analogue rootless cones; and analysis of data from the MARSIS radar sounder aboard the European spacecraft Mars Express.

His postdoctoral position at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston (2010-2013) involved employing stereo and shape-from-shading techniques to produce topographic maps of Io and the Saturnian mid-sized icy moons. On Io, this allowed characterization of volcano and mountain morphologies as well as regional and global scale shape deviations. On the Saturnian icy moons, he measured crater morphologies using the topographic maps in order to assess the extent of crater relaxation, allowing determination of past heat flow conditions across their surfaces.

As a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow at NASA Ames Research Center (2014-2017), he used the MARSSIM landform evolution model to investigate the formation and evolution of the ice pinnacle terrain on the Galilean moon Callisto, which has required advancing the model’s treatment of relevant physical processes. He is a co-investigator on the Geological and Geophysical Investigation Team of NASA’s New Horizons mission and participated in mission planning and flyby operations for the spacecraft’s flyby of the Pluto system in July 2015.  He has used his experience of mapping of planetary surfaces during his undergraduate and graduate degrees to produce a geological map of Pluto that is to be published by the US Geological Survey.

As a SETI research scientist (since 2017), he has investigated the glacial origins of the distinctive and enigmatic “washboard” and “fluted” terrain types on Pluto and participated in mission planning for the January 2019 New Horizons flyby of the Kuiper belt object Arrokoth, as well as flyby operations and post-flyby data analysis.  Current research projects include leading a project to produce a global geological of Tethys for the US Geological Survey; measuring the topography of tectonic fractures on Pluto, which will inform numerical modeling to determine Pluto’s structural evolution; using landform evolution modeling to investigate the enigmatic origins of steep-edged depressions in the polar regions of Titan; and mapping large impact features on the Galilean moons Ganymede and Callisto in an effort to try and explain their great morphological diversity.

Education

2006-10: PhD in Planetary Science (University College London, London, UK). Thesis title: The Influence of Environmental Conditions on Volcanic Processes on the Terrestrial Planets.

2002-06: 4-year MSci degree in Planetary Science (University College London, London, UK).

Research Interests

Geology and geomorphology of the giant planet moons and Kuiper belt objects.

Select Publications

White, O.L., et al. (2021) The Geology of Pluto. In The Pluto System After New Horizons (S.A. Stern, R.P. Binzel, W.M. Grundy, J.M. Moore, and L.A. Young, eds.), pp. 55-87, Univ. Of Arizona, Tucson.

White, O.L., et al. (2019) Washboard and fluted terrains on Pluto as evidence for ancient glaciation. Nat. Astron., 3, 62-68, doi:10.1038/s41550-018-0592-z.

White, O.L., et al. (2017) Impact crater relaxation on Dione and Tethys and relation to past heat flow. Icarus, 288, 37-52, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.01.025.

White, O.L., et al. (2017) Geological mapping of Sputnik Planitia on Pluto. Icarus, 287, 261-286, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.01.011.

White, O.L., et al. (2016) Modeling of ice pinnacle formation on Callisto. J. Geophys. Res. Planets, 121, 21-45, doi:10.1002/2015JE004846.

White, O.L., P.M. Schenk (2015) Topographic mapping of paterae and layered plains on Io using photoclinometry. J. Geophys. Res. Planets, 120, 51-61, doi:10.1002/2014JE004672. 

White, O.L., et al. (2014) A new stereo topographic map of Io: Implications for geology from global to local scales. J. Geophys. Res. Planets, 119, 1276-1301, doi:10.1002/2013JE004591.

White, O.L., et al. (2013) Impact basin relaxation on Rhea and Iapetus and relation to past heat flow. Icarus, 223, 699-709, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2013.01.013.

White, O.L., et al. (2009) MARSIS radar sounder observations in the vicinity of Ma’adim Vallis, Mars. Icarus, 201, 460-473, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.01.015.

Select Accepted Proposals

“A Global Geologic Map of Tethys”, submitted to 2022 Planetary Data Archiving and Restoration Solicitation. 

“Modeling of the Formation of Sharp-Edged Depressions on Titan”, submitted to 2018 Solar System Workings. 

“A Global Geologic Map of Pluto at 1:7M Scale”, submitted to 2018 Planetary Data Archiving, Restoration and Tools Solicitation.

NASA Missions

Co-Investigator on the New Horizons mission