Dr. Cole Nypaver is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the National Air and Space Museum Center for Earth and Planetary Studies. He received his B.S. degree in Geology from Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania in 2017, followed by his M.S. in Geology (2019) and Ph.D. in Geology (2023) from the University of Tennessee Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Dr. Nypaver’s research focuses on improving our understanding of past and present geologic processes that shape the surface of Earth’s Moon. Specifically, he utilizes high-resolution orbital imagery and kinematic models to identify recently active tectonic structures on the lunar surface and constrain the extent to which those features deform the upper lunar lithosphere. As a science team member of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) instruments, Dr. Nypaver also uses multiple remote sensing datasets – specifically synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and thermal infrared data – to better understand how lunar soil, topography, and impact craters develop and evolve over time.