Biography
| Dr. Fernandez earned his Ph.D. in Astronomy from University of Maryland, College Park, in 1999. He spent 3-years (1999-2002) as a Scientific Researcher and 3-years (2002-2005) as a SIRTF/Spitzer Fellow in University of Hawai`i before joining UCF in 2005, where he is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy. |
Research Areas
My area of research is comets and asteroids, which I have been studying since 1994. I am interested in the composition and physical properties of these objects, and how they compare to each other and other objects in the Solar System. Why? Because Small Bodies can tell us about the origin of the Solar System — what were the compositional and thermal conditions in the solar nebula and in the protoplanetary disk? I am also interested in how comets and asteroids have evolved, since the current state of the Solar System informs how we can understand its formation 4.6 billions years ago.
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Research Opportunities for Students
Dr. Fernandez is an observational astronomer, using ground-based and space-based telescopes to study active comets, extinct comets, Trans-Neptunian objects, Centaurs, Trojans, primitive main-belt asteroids, and near-Earth asteroids. Therefore, research projects in his group frequently involve data analysis and coding.
Information on requirements:
Currently accepting:
Graduate: No
Undergraduate: Yes
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- Is it Paid? – No
- In a lab? – No
- Prerequisites – required: AST 2002, PHY 2048. preferred: PHZ 3150 and/or AST 4762 and/or PHZ 3151.
- Learning materials – N/A
Courses Taught
