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Kevin France
Born
Kevin Christopher France

Dearborn, Michigan
Alma materBoston University (BA)
Johns Hopkins University (PhD)
SpouseEmily C. France https://www.emilyfrancebooks.com/
Scientific career
FieldsAstrophysics
InstitutionsUniversity of Colorado Boulder
Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics
ThesisFar-Ultraviolet Molecular Hydrogen Fluorescence in Photodissociation Regions (2006)
Doctoral advisorPaul D. Feldman
Websitecos.colorado.edu/~kevinf/

Kevin France is an astrophysicist and assistant professor in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences[1] at the University of Colorado.[2] His research focuses on exoplanets and their host stars, protoplanetary disks, and the development of instrumentation for space-borne astronomy missions.

Early life and education

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Kevin France grew up and attended high school in Charleston, West Virginia. He then received a B.A in Physics & Astronomy in 2000 from Boston University. After a few breaks to travel and work for Greenpeace, he earned a Ph.D. at the Johns Hopkins University in Astrophysics in 2006, working with Paul Feldman[3] and Stephan McCandliss.[4] At Johns Hopkins, he was the lead graduate student on two NASA/JHU rocket missions studying the ultraviolet properties of dust and H2 in galactic nebulae, a guest observer on NASA’s Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer[5] and Spitzer Space Telescope[6] missions, and played drums in the world's greatest astronomical rock band[citation needed].

Research and career

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Following graduate school, France moved to a postdoctoral position at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics before coming to the University of Colorado's Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy to join the Instrument Development Team for Hubble Space Telescope's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) with James Green.[7][8][9] He was awarded NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman fellowship prior to joining the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences (APS) faculty at Colorado in 2013.[10][1] France is presently an assistant professor in APS, the principal investigator of the Colorado Ultraviolet Rocket Group and the NASA-supported CUTE CubeSat mission, the UV spectrograph (LUMOS) lead for NASA’s LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team, and a founding member of the Colorado Ultraviolet Spectroscopy Program (CUSP).[11][12] 

His work is aimed at exploring the potential for habitable planets to exist beyond the Solar System. His specific expertise is the observation and modeling of UV spectra of planet-hosting stars, exoplanetary atmospheres, protoplanetary disks, and atomic/molecular spectra from the interstellar medium. He is a regular guest observer on the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as other ground- and space-based observatories.[13]  He has authored more than 110 papers in the peer-reviewed astrophysical literature.[14] 

Personal life

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Outside of work, Prof. France lives with his family outside of Boulder, Colorado. His wife, Emily France, is a novelist and lawyer.[9]  

Recent published work

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences". Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  2. ^ "Kevin France".
  3. ^ "Paul Feldman". The Academy at Johns Hopkins. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  4. ^ "Stephan McCandliss". Physics & Astronomy. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  5. ^ "The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer". Johns Hopkins University.
  6. ^ "Spitzer Space Telescope". California Institute of Technology.
  7. ^ "Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics".
  8. ^ "Home | Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy - CASA". www.colorado.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  9. ^ a b "Cosmic Origins Spectrograph". 22 August 2016.
  10. ^ "Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowships in Astrophysics for Early Career Researchers | Science Mission Directorate". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  11. ^ "Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE)". Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  12. ^ "CUSP". Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  13. ^ "428: Dr. Kevin France: Bright Researcher Studying Exoplanets and their Stars and Developing New Astrophysics Technology". People Behind the Science Podcast. 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  14. ^ "France, K". Astrophysics Data System.
  15. ^ Arulanantham, Nicole (April 2020). "Probing UV-sensitive Pathways for CN and HCN Formation in Protoplanetary Disks with the Hubble Space Telescope". The Astronomical Journal. 159 (4): 168. arXiv:2002.09058. Bibcode:2020AJ....159..168A. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab789a.
  16. ^ Cubillos, Patricio (March 2020). "Near-ultraviolet Transmission Spectroscopy of HD 209458b: Evidence of Ionized Iron Beyond the Planetary Roche Lobe". The Astronomical Journal. 159 (3): 111. arXiv:2001.03126. Bibcode:2020AJ....159..111C. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab6a0b.
  17. ^ Larsson, J (December 2019). "The Matter Beyond the Ring: The Recent Evolution of SN 1987A Observed by the Hubble Space Telescope". The Astrophysical Journal. 886 (2): 21. arXiv:1910.09582. Bibcode:2019ApJ...886..147L. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab4ff2.
  18. ^ Alcalá, J. M (September 2019). "HST spectra reveal accretion in MY Lupi". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 629: 12. arXiv:1908.10647. Bibcode:2019A&A...629A.108A. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201935657. S2CID 201651265 – via Astrophysics Data System.
  19. ^ Kruczek, Nicholas (June 2019). "Revisiting the Temperature of the Diffuse ISM with CHESS Sounding Rocket Observations". The Astrophysical Journal. 878 (2): 12. arXiv:1905.03781. Bibcode:2019ApJ...878...77K. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab1e56.
  20. ^ Salz, M. (March 2019). "Swift UVOT near-UV transit observations of WASP-121 b". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 623: 7. arXiv:1901.10223. Bibcode:2019A&A...623A..57S. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201732419. S2CID 119377993 – via Astrophysics Data System.
  21. ^ Froning, Cynthia S. (February 2019). "A Hot Ultraviolet Flare on the M Dwarf Star GJ 674". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 871 (2): 6. arXiv:1901.08647. Bibcode:2019ApJ...871L..26F. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aaffcd.
  22. ^ Sreejith, Aickara Gopinathan (January 2019). "Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment data simulator". Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems. 5: 018004. arXiv:1903.03314. Bibcode:2019JATIS...5a8004S. doi:10.1117/1.JATIS.5.1.018004. S2CID 88484557.
  23. ^ Fossati, L. (December 2018). "Extreme-ultraviolet Radiation from A-stars: Implications for Ultra-hot Jupiters". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 868 (2): 5. arXiv:1811.05460. Bibcode:2018ApJ...868L..30F. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aaf0a5.
  24. ^ Bean, Jacob L (November 2018). "The Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Program for JWST". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 130 (993): 114402. arXiv:1803.04985. Bibcode:2018PASP..130k4402B. doi:10.1088/1538-3873/aadbf3. S2CID 55587951.
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