MATT SIEGLER
Planetary Scientist
Dr. Matthew Siegler is a research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute and research faculty at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. He focuses on thermal processes, data analysis, and modeling for NASA planetary missions. He is currently a Co-I on the LRO, InSight, OSIRIS-REx, Mars 2020, and upcoming Viper and lunar CLPS missions. He focuses on subsurface volatile stability, geothermal heat flow, regolith thermal properties, and instrument design. He is also proud father to future astronauts Jack and June (see Fig. 1)
LEARN MORE ABOUT MATT SIEGLER
Sharing the Science Bug
I grew up in the metropolis of Wayne, Illinois, where a love of brio train magnets led to a career in planetary geophysics. As a high schooler, I got the science bug from Carl Sagan videos (actually VHS tapes from the library!) and a summer class at Fermilab, where I went on to intern during college. I was an undergrad at Cornell, where I double majored in Physics and Film, turning an interest in science documentaries into a full time job. There I also began working on the Mars Exploration Rovers.
After College I worked at CERN/University of Zurich for a year, then headed back to Mars as a lab researcher at Caltech. From there I transitioned to UCLA where I PhD'ed about lunar volatiles, IR remote sensing and thermophysical lab work and modeling. I entertained the department with my student films.
I then went to JPL, where I postdoced, then became a Staff Scientist and a real life geophysicist working on the Moon and Mars. I also used my film degree to work on the revamped Cosmos Series as a script advisor and as a series producer/director for the PhDetours online series for PhDTV (Part of PHD Comics).
With the advent of children, I moved to Dallas with my growing family and switched over to the Planetary Science Institute and Southern Methodist University. We've been doing awesomely well here, and I now am involved in several planetary missions (LRO, InSight, OSIRIS-REx, VIPER...), PI of a new microwave instrument, I've taught an intro planetary class at SMU and UTD, have several graduate students and a postdoc, two great kids, a greater wife, and a new treehouse.
PUBLISHED WORK
Articles and Books
31. St Clair, M., Million, C., & Siegler, M. (2020). Improvements to the Apollo 15 and 17 heat flow experiment data archive. P&SS, 187, 104944.
30. Rozitis, B., Emery, J. P., Siegler, M. A., Susorney, H. C. M., Molaro, J. L., Hergenrother, C. W., & Lauretta, D. S. (2020). Implications for ice stability and particle ejection from high‐resolution temperature modeling of asteroid (101955) Bennu. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, e2019JE006323.
29. Siegler, M.A., Feng, J., Lucey P., Ghent, R., Hayne, P. (2020) Lunar microwave loss tangent
and ilmenite content as constrained by the Chang’E MRM and LRO Diviner Lunar Radiometers
28. Banerdt, W.B., Smrekar, S.E., Banfield, D. et al. (full team) Initial results from the InSight mission on
Mars. Nat. Geosci. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-0544-y
27. Attree, N., Patel, N., Hagermann, A., Grott, M., Spohn, T., & Siegler, M. (2020). Potential effects of atmospheric
collapse on Martian heat flow and application to the InSight measurements. Planetary and Space
Science, 180, 104778.
26. B. Rozitis, B., Emery,J. Siegler, M., Susorney, H, Molaro, J., Hergenrother, C. and D. S. Lauretta,D. (2020)
Implications for ice stability and particle ejection from high-resolution temperature modeling of
asteroid (101955) Bennu, JGR Planets
25. Feng, J., Siegler, M. A., & Hayne, P. O. (2020). New Constraints on Thermal and Dielectric Properties of
Lunar Regolith from LRO Diviner and CE‐2 Microwave Radiometer. Journal of Geophysical Research:
Planets, 125(1), e2019JE006130.
24. Ojha, L., Karimi, S., Lewis, K. W., Smrekar, S., & Siegler, M. (2019). Depletion of Heat Producing
Elements in the Martian Mantle. Geophysical Research Letters, 46. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085234
23. Williams, J‐P., B. T. Greenhagen, D. A. Paige, N. Schorghofer, E. Sefton‐Nash, P. O. Hayne, P. G. Lucey,
M. A. Siegler, and K‐Michael Aye. "Seasonal Polar Temperatures on the Moon." JGR: Planets (2019).
22. Woods‐Robinson, R., Siegler, M. A., & Paige, D. A. (2019). A Model for the Thermophysical Properties of
Lunar Regolith at Low Temperatures. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.
21. The Regolith of (101955) Bennu from OSIRIS-REx Imaging and Thermal Analysis Nature Astronomy
DellaGiustina, D., Emery, J., Golish, D, Rozitis, B, and 59 authors, including Siegler, M. (2019).
20. Morgan, P., Grott, M., Knapmeyer-Endrun, B., Golombek, M., Delage, P., Lognonné, P… Siegler, M.
(14th of 17) (2018). A pre-landing assessment of regolith properties at the InSight landing
site. Space Science Reviews, 214(6), 104.
19. Hayne, P.O., Banfield, J., Siegler, M., …(2017) Global regolith thermophysical properties of the Moon
from the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment, JGR Planets, 122(12), 2371-2400
18. Siegler, M.A., Smrekar, S.E. Piqueux,S. ,Müller,N., Grott M. (2017) Three-Dimensional
Thermal Modeling for the 2016 InSight Mission Space Science Reviews- InSight Special Issue doi
10.1007/s11214-017-0331-2
17. Delitsky, M. L., Paige, D. A., Siegler, M. A., Harju, E. R., Schriver, D., Johnson, R. E., & Travnicek, P.
(2017). Ices on Mercury: Chemistry of volatiles in permanently cold areas of Mercury's north polar
region. Icarus, 281, 19-31.
16. Fisher, E. A., Lucey, P. G., Lemelin, M., Greenhagen, B. T., Siegler, M. A., Mazarico, E., ... & Paige,
D. A. (2017). Evidence for surface water ice in the lunar polar regions using reflectance
measurements from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter and temperature measurements from the
Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment. Icarus, 292, 74-85.
15. Plesa, A. C., Grott, M., Lemmon, M. T., Müller, N., Piqueux, S., Siegler, M. A., S. Smrekar & Spohn, T.
(2016). Interannual perturbations of the Martian surface heat flow by atmospheric dust opacity
variations. JGR Planets, 121(10), 2166-2175.
14. Siegler, M.A., Miller, R., Keane, J, Laneuville, M., Paige, D., Matsuyama, I., Crotts, A., Poston, M. (2016)
Lunar True Polar Wander Inferred from Polar Hydrogen, Nature Vol 531. 480-484.
13. Johnson, C. L., Phillips, R. J., Purucker, … Siegler M.A… Solomon S.C. (2015) Low-altitude magnetic
field measurements by MESSENGER reveal Mercury’s ancient crustal field Science Vol. 348
12. Siegler M.A., Paige, D.A., Williams, J.P., Bills, B.G., (2015) Evolution of Lunar Polar Ice
Stability, Icarus Special Issue on Lunar Volatiles- Volume 255, 78–87
11. Hayne, A Hendrix, E Sefton-Nash, Siegler, M.A.,… (2015) Evidence for exposed water ice in the
Moon’s south polar regions from LRO UV albedo and temperature measurements. Icarus 255-58
10. Hurley, D. M., Sarantos, M., Grava, C., Williams, J. P., Retherford, K. D., Siegler, M.A, …(2015).
An analytic function of lunar surface temperature for exospheric modeling. Icarus 255
9. Gong, X., Paige, D. A., Siegler, M. A., & Jin, Y. Q. (2015). Inversion of Dielectric Properties of the Lunar
Regolith Media With Temperature Profiles Using Chang'e Microwave Radiometer Observations.
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, IEEE, 12(2), 384-388.
8. Siegler, M.A.; Smrekar,S. (2014) Lunar Heat Flow: Regional Prospective of the Apollo
Landing sites, JGR Planets Volume 119, Issue 1, DOI: 10.1002/2013JE004453
7. Siegler, M. A.; Bills, B. G.; Paige, D. A. (2013) Long term climate variability of Mercury’s Poles JGR
Planets, Vol. 118, 1–8, doi:10.1002/jgre.20070
6. Paige, D.A., Siegler, M.A., Harmon, J.K., Neumann, G.A. , Mazarico, E.M., Smith, D.E.,
Zuber, M.T., Harju, E., Delitsky, M.L., and Solomon, S.C. (2013) Thermal stability of
volatiles in the north polar region of Mercury- Science, doi 10.1126/science.1231106
5. Vasavada, A. R., Bandfield, J. L., Greenhagen, B. T., Hayne, P. O., Siegler, M. A., Williams,
J. P., & Paige, D. A. (2012). Lunar equatorial surface temperatures and regolith
properties from the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment. JGR Planets, 117(E12).
4. Siegler M.A., Aharonson O., Choukroun M., Hudson T., Schorghofer N., Xu S. (2012) Measurements of
thermal properties of icy Mars regolith analogs JGR Planets, doi:10.1029/2011JE003938
3. Siegler M.A., Bills B.G., Paige D.A. (2011) Effects of orbital evolution on lunar ice stability,
JGR Planets VOL. 116, doi:10.1029/2010JE003652
2. Paige D.A., Siegler M.A., Zhang J.A., Hayne P.O., Diviner Team (2010) Diviner Observations of Cold
Traps in the Lunar South Polar Region: Spatial Distribution and Temperature, Science
1. Hayne, P. O., Greenhagen, B. T., Foote, M. C., Siegler, M. A., Vasavada, A. R., & Paige, D. A. (2010).
Diviner lunar radiometer observations of the LCROSS impact. Science
TEACHING
Lectures & Workshops
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Fall 2016, 2017, 2019- Southern Methodist University
Spring 2017 - University of Texas at Dallas
Introduction to Planetary Science
An overview of cosmology, the creation of the planets, and planetary exploration
Enrollment ~80
GET IN TOUCH
Contact Matt Siegler to discuss their published work, teaching, collaboration opportunities or for any other inquiries.
