Dr. Kip Hodges stands as a distinguished leader in Earth and planetary sciences with significant contributions spanning multiple disciplines. He currently serves as a Foundation Professor at Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration where he has been instrumental in shaping the institution since its inception. After earning his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he embarked on a distinguished academic career that led him to Arizona State University in 2006 as the founding director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration, a position he held with distinction until 2013. His leadership in establishing this innovative interdisciplinary school has created a model for integrated Earth and space science education and research nationwide.
Dr. Hodges' pioneering research integrates field, laboratory, and theoretical approaches with systems engineering principles to address fundamental questions in geodynamics and planetary science. His work on the geodynamic development of mountainous regions, particularly the Himalaya, has transformed our understanding of orogenic processes through innovative thermal-kinematic modeling and noble gas isotope geochemistry. As director of the Group 18 Laboratories at ASU, he has pioneered creative approaches to constrain the thermal evolution of terrestrial and extraterrestrial samples, with applications extending to meteorite parent bodies and the inner Solar System. His development of high-resolution 40Ar/39Ar and (U-Th)/He geochronology techniques has provided critical insights into the timing of major meteorite impacts on Earth and other planetary bodies, earning him over 27,000 citations according to Google Scholar.
Beyond his research achievements, Dr. Hodges has profoundly influenced the geoscience community through leadership roles including his current role chairing the Advisory Committee on Geosciences for the National Science Foundation and service on NASA's Planetary Science Subcommittee. He has been recognized as a Fellow of both the Geological Society of America and the American Geophysical Union for his exceptional contributions to the field. As a member of the editorial board for several scientific journals, he continues to shape scientific discourse across multiple disciplines. His ongoing research explores advanced strategies for planetary field science, examining how humans and robots can collaborate on-site and through teleoperation to maximize scientific discovery during future exploration of planetary surfaces.
