James W. Head

James W. Head III (born August 30, 1941) is an American planetary geologist who is the Louis and Elizabeth Scherck Distinguished Professor of Geological Sciences at Brown University. He specializes in the study of volcanic, tectonic, and glacial processes that shape planetary surfaces. Head has been instrumental in advancing planetary science through his work with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Apollo program, international space missions, and comparative planetology research.

Early life and education James W. Head III was born on August 30, 1941. He earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from Washington and Lee University in 1964 and completed his Ph.D. in Geological Sciences at Brown University in 1969.

Career Head began his career at Bellcomm, Inc., where he contributed to NASA's Apollo program by analyzing potential lunar landing sites, training astronauts in geological fieldwork, and studying returned lunar samples. In 1973, he joined the faculty at Brown University, where he has since supervised nearly 40 Ph.D. students.

Head has been involved in numerous international space missions as an investigator, including: NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) ESA's Mars Express mission NASA's MESSENGER mission to Mercury

Research contributions Head's research focuses on the geological processes that shape planetary surfaces, such as volcanism, tectonism, impact cratering, and glaciation. His fieldwork includes studies on active volcanoes in Hawaii and Mount St. Helens, deep-sea volcanic deposits via submersible dives, and cold-climate processes during five field seasons in Antarctica.