A passion bigger than the solar system: James Rogers, Ph.D., discusses his work in the NASA Postdoctoral Program
James Rogers, Ph.D., is an astrobiologist in the NASA Postdoctoral Program. He studies exoplanets (extra-solar bodies like planets, asteroids, etc.). Rogers says scientists have detected thousands of exoplanets orbiting stars throughout the galaxy. Studying exoplanets and planet formation can help us piece together how our solar system fits into the galaxy and the universe. In this conversation, Rogers talks to host Michael Holtz about his fellowship, making the transition from England to the United States, the role of mentorship and collaboration in his work, and what comes next during his fellowship.
Center: NASA Astrobiology Program
It was passion for his field and curiosity for astrophysics that gave James Rogers, Ph.D., the courage to leave his home of England and move to Los Angeles to further his career.
Rogers, who is a Fellow in the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP), studies exoplanets, a young field of science.
“We have eight planets in our solar system, plus loads of other smaller bodies like asteroids and things like that. In the last couple of decades, we’ve detected thousands of exoplanets,” Rogers explained in a recent interview for Further Together: The ORAU Podcast. “These are planets that orbit other stars in our galaxy. I’m very interested in trying to understand and trying to unpiece the information that we can learn on things like planet formation and planet evolution, and trying to piece together where our solar system fits into this picture.”
Rogers conducts theoretical modeling of planet formations, studying the atmospheres and evolution of these exoplanets.
“The fundamental questions I think about boil down to are we alone?” Rogers continued. “Is there life in other places in at least our galaxy and even our solar system?”
It was questions like this that helped Rogers find his passion for astrophysics. Rogers had originally wanted to become a medical doctor, but he realized that his curiosity was driving him to ask about the universe: “The questions that really kind of stuck with me and I found the most fascinating were the physics questions,” he said. “What are atoms made of? What are stars? What are planets? Where do they come from? So that’s how I eventually honed down into astrophysics and from there exoplanets and things like that.”
One of the things that Rogers enjoys about his work is the excitement of the people around him as they constantly make new discoveries. Because the field of study has only been around for a few decades, he explained that the people who choose to go into this field are incredibly passionate about their work.
“We’re still, as a field, only really just finding our feet,” Rogers said. “And I think it’s a really exciting field to be a part of. There are discoveries that are coming out on a monthly or even weekly basis of new things and rewriting textbooks and things like that. So it’s really fun to be part of such a passionate and diverse group of people. It’s really a privilege to work with them and share the discoveries that we’re making.”
It was this passion that helped Rogers decide to move around the world so that he could continue to study exoplanets, going from a small village in southwest England to UCLA to continue his work.
“The challenges for me were things like moving out here on my own, and that question of ‘the passion that I have for this subject: is it enough for me to move across the world?’” said Rogers. “Obviously it was. There are sometimes sacrifices you have to make in terms of where you want to be and how you want to do it. But every time I think about those sacrifices, it always comes down to the fact that I feel so passionate about what I do. I’m so lucky to be able to wake up and just think about planets. It still doesn’t really seem like an actual job description.