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Jordana Blacksberg

Program Manager, Academic Programs, Office of Research and Development

About

Bio

Dr. Jordana Blacksberg is currently the Program Manager for Academic Programs in the JPL Office of Research and Development (ORD). She is dedicated to increasing the impact of our research partnerships with universities which is the key to keeping JPL on the cutting edge of research. Prior to her ORD role, she was a senior member of technical staff in the Instruments Division at JPL.  She has an active research program and extensive experience in in situ planetary instrument and detector development.  She has served as PI for numerous research programs supported by NASA, JPL, and KISS. She also serves as the Investigation Scientist for the Europa Clipper Magnetometer.

Research focus Primitive Bodies, Raman, Infrared spectroscopy, magnetometry, in situ science and instrumentation for primitive Solar System bodies

In her early career at JPL and previously at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory she developed expertise in designing, fabricating and testing numerous detectors for imaging and spectroscopy in bands ranging from ultraviolet to far-infrared including delta-doped CCDs, Germanium BIB arrays, and extended wavelength silicon detectors.  

Education

  • Ph. D., Germanium Detectors for Far-infrared Spectroscopy, Materials Science & Engineering, University of California at Berkeley
  • M.S., Ferroelectric Nonvolatile Memory, Materials Science & Engineering, University of California at Berkeley
  • B.S.E., Materials Science & Engineering, University of Pennsylvania

Research Interests

Science and instrument development for understanding solar system origins and evolution as well as habitability in planetary science.

Experience

Professional Experience

Management

Manager of Academic Programs, including the JPL Strategic Research Partnership (SURP) Program, fostering research collaborations with our most strategic university partners and the President's and Director's Research and Development Fund (PDRDF) supporting joint research with Caltech Campus.

Research

Technical leadership in instrument and detector development from 2001 to present. Focus on science-driven development and infusion of new scientific measurement methods and instrumentation into NASA’s planetary science missions. These techniques include Raman Spectroscopy, Reflectance Spectroscopy, Tunable Laser Spectroscopy, and Magnetometry. Recent research includes spectroscopy from the ultraviolet through infrared for minerology and organic identification on planetary bodies to determine solar system origins and habitability. Most recent focus is on development of miniature infrared spectrometers for small satellites for determination of mineralogy and volatile content in small bodies.

Roles

  • Manager, Office of Research and Development, all Academic Programs (2020-present)
  • Manager, Office of Research and Development, Strategic University Research Partnership (SURP) Program (2019-2020
  • Investigation Scientist for Europa Clipper Magnetometer (2015-present)
  • PI for research programs
    • NASA (PICASSO Program), High-speed Pulsed Raman for Identification of Minerals and Organics (2015-2019)
    • Keck Institute for Space Studies, Origins of Primitive Solar System Bodies (2012-2017)
    • NASA (PIDDP Program), Time Resolved Instrument for Mineral Analysis (2010-2013)
    • NASA (PIDDP Program), Simultaneous Spectral Temporal Adaptive Raman Spectrometer (2007-2010)

Achievements

Awards & Recognitions

  • JPL Team Award (2023)
  • JPL Voyager Award (2023)
  • JPL Team Award (2020)
  • JPL Voyager Award | SURP and JROC program development (2018)
  • JPL Team Award | Europa Clipper Investigation Scientist (2017)
  • JPL Team Award | Time-Resolved Spectroscopy (2014)
  • JPL Award | JPL Research Poster Conference award (2013)
  • The Edward Stone Award for Outstanding Research Publication | Time Resolved Raman Spectroscopy for In Situ Planetary Mineralogy (2011)

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications:

  1. Kivelson, M. et. al., "Europa Clipper Magnetometer", Space Science Reviews, 219, 48 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-023-00989-5, September 2023
  2. Chen, M.E. Kenyon, W.R. Johnson, J. Blacksberg, D.W. Wilson, C.A. Raymond, B.L. Ehlmann, “Mid- and long-wave infrared point spectrometer (MLPS): a miniature space-borne science instrument”, Optics Express, Vol. 30, No. 10 / 9, p. 17476-17489, May 2022
  3. Mahjoub, M.E. Brown, M.J. Poston, R. Hodyss, B.L. Ehlmann, J. Blacksberg, M. Choukroun, J.M. Eiler, K.P. Hand, “Effect of H2S on the Near-infrared Spectrum of Irradiation Residue and Applications to the Kuiper Belt Object (486958) Arrokoth” The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 914, Number 2, 2021
  4. J. Blacksberg, E. Alerstam, C.J. Cochrane, Y. Maruyama, J.D. Farmer, “A miniature high-speed, low-pulse energy picosecond Raman spectrometer for identification of minerals and organics in planetary science” Applied Optics, 59(2), p. 433-444, January 2020
  5. I. Wong, M.E. Brown, J. Blacksberg, B.L. Ehlmann, A. Mahjoub “Hubble Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Jupiter Trojans”, The Astronomical Journal, 157:4, April 2019
  6. M.J. Poston, A. Mahjoub, B.L. Ehlmann, J. Blacksberg, M.E. Brown, R.W. Carlson, J.M. Eiler, K. P. Hand, R. Hodyss, and I. Wong, “Visible Near-infrared Spectral Evolution of Irradiated Mixed Ices and Application to Kuiper Belt Objects and Jupiter Trojans”, The Astrophysical Journal, 856:124 (16pp), March 2018
  7. A. Mahjoub, M. Poston, J. Blacksberg, J. Eiler, M.E. Brown, B.L. Ehlmann, K.P. Hand, R. Carlson, M. Choukroun, “Production of sulfur allotropes in electron irradiated Jupiter Trojan ice analogs”, 846:2, September 2017
  8. C.J. Cochrane, J. Blacksberg, M.A. Anders, P.M. Lenahan, “Vectorized Magnetometer for Space Applications Using Electrical Readout Atomic Scale Defects in Silicon Carbide”, Nature Scientific Reports, 37077, November 2016
  9. J. Blacksberg, E. Alerstam, Y. Maruyama, Corey Cochrane, G.R. Rossman, “A Miniaturized Time-Resolved Raman Spectrometer for Planetary Science Based on a Fast Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) Detector Array”, Applied Optics, 55(4), pp. 739-748, February 2016
  10. A. Mahjoub, M.J. Poston, K. Hand, M. Brown, R. Hodyss, J. Blacksberg, J., Eiler, R. Carlson, B. Ehlman, M. Choukroun, “Electron Irradiation and Thermal Processing of Mixed-ices of Potential Relevance to Jupiter Trojans Asteroids”, The Astrophysical Journal, 820:141, April 2016
  11. C. J. Cochrane, J. Blacksberg, “A fast classification scheme in Raman spectroscopy for the identification mineralogical mixtures using a large database with correlated predictors”, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING, VOL. 53, NO. 8, AUGUST 2015 4259
  12. Y. Maruyama, J. Blacksberg, and E. Charbon, “A 1024x8, 0.7 ns time-gated SPAD line sensor for laser Raman spectroscopy and LIBS in space and rover based planetary exploration”, IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits (JSSC), Vol. 49, No. 1, January 2014
  13. J. Blacksberg, Y. Maruyama, E. Charbon, G.R. Rossman “Fast Single-Photon Avalanche Diode Arrays For Laser Raman Spectroscopy”, Optics Letters, 36 (18), pp. 3672-3674, September 15, 2011
  14. J. Blacksberg, G. Rossman, and A. Gleckler, “Time Resolved Raman Spectroscopy for In Situ Planetary Mineralogy”, Applied Optics, 49 (26), pp. 4951-4962, 10 September, 2010
  15. J. Blacksberg, S. Nikzad, M.E. Hoenk, S. Holland, W. Kolbe, “Near-100% quantum efficiency of delta doped large-format UV-NIR silicon imagers”, IEEE transactions on Electron Devices, 55 (12) pp. 3402-3406, December 2008
  16. J. Blacksberg, M.E. Hoenk, T. Elliott, S. Holland, S. Nikzad, “Enhanced quantum efficiency of high purity silicon imaging detectors by ultra-low temperature surface modification using Sb-doping”, Applied Physics Letters, December 19, 2005
  17. J. Blacksberg, M.E. Hoenk, S. Nikzad, “Ultra-low temperature homoepitaxial growth of Sb-doped silicon”, Journal of Crystal Growth, 285(4) pp. 473-480, December 15, 2005

Patents

  1. “Mid-Wave and Long-Wave Infrared Point Spectrometer”, United States Patent 11719576, August 2023
  2. “Method for growing a back surface contact on an imaging detector used in conjunction with back illumination”, United States Patent 7800040, September 2010