Brief Bio

Dr. Roth is a Research Associate in the Department of Physics at the Catholic University of America. He works full-time in the Astrochemistry Laboratory at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. He is an expert in near-infrared spectroscopy and millimeter-wave interferometry of ephemeris objects.

Dr. Roth maintains observing programs with radio and near-infrared observatories around the world and in space, including the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), the Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA), the Submillimeter Array (SMA), the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX), the Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO), the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF), and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

His research objective is to trace astrochemistry throughout the stellar lifecycle by exploiting connections between primitive solar system bodies and protoplanetary, protostellar, and interstellar environments. Leveraging synergies between molecular spectroscopy at radio and near-infrared wavelengths, his research explores the lineage of volatile and refractory organics from the interstellar medium to the present-day solar system, thereby improving our understanding of planetary system formation.

Positions/Employment

Education

Ph.D. in Physics, August 2019, Missouri University of Science & Technology and University of Missouri-St. Louis Joint Physics Program, Rolla, MO

Professional Societies

Professional Service

Journal Referee:

Astronomical Journal

Planetary Science Journal

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Selected Professional Activities:

Principal Investigator, James Webb Space Telescope Cycle 1 GO Program 1897

Investigation Team Member, Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission

ALMA Ambassador, ALMA Cycle 9

Science Co-Investigator, SALTUS Astrophysics Probe mission concept

Principal Investigator, ALMA Cycle 8 Medium Program 2021.1.00862.S

Principal Investigator, ALMA Cycle 8 Director's Discretionary Time Program 2021.A.00013.S

NASA Office of STEM Engagement Mentor

NASA CONNECTORS Program Mentor

Awards

NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, 2016-2019, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Ciel deGutis Award for Research Excellence, 2019, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Other Professional Information

Mentoring:

Timothy Proudkii (2021-present): Virginia Tech

Successful Observing Proposals:

2022, Atacama Pathfinder Experiment, PI, APEX Monitoring Observations of Comet C/2017 K2 in Support of ALMA

2022, Atacama Pathfinder Experiment, PI, A Search for Distributed Sources in a Target of Opportunity Comet

2022, ALMA Cycle 8 2021.A.00013.S, Director's Discretionary Time, PI, ALMA Observations of the DART Mission: Revealing Composition of the Impact Ejecta and the Interior of S-Type Asteroids

2022B, Green Bank Telescope, PI, Measuring NH3 and OH in a Target-of-Opportunity Comet with the GBT

2022, Northern Extended Millimeter Array, PI, A Search for Distributed Sources at Small Heliocentric Distance in Oort Cloud Comet C/2021 O3 (PanSTARRS)

2022A, Green Bank Telescope, PI, Measuring NH3 and OH in a Target-of-Opportunity Comet with the GBT

2022, NASA IRTF, Co-I, Investigation of CO vs H2O driven outgassing in comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS)

2022, NASA IRTF, Co-I, Study of the composition and outgassing behavior of comet C/2021 O3 (PanSTARRS) at small heliocentric distances

2021, ALMA Cycle 8 2021.1.00862.S, PI, The Evolution of Molecular Outgassing in Distant Comet C/2017 K2: A Joint ALMA/JWST Monitoring Campaign Across Ice Lines

2021, James Webb Space Telescope GO 1897, PI, Pushing the Envelope of the JWST Discovery Space: Measuring the Insoluble Organic Matter (IOM) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Content of Comet 9P/Tempel 1

2021, Submillimeter Array, PI, A Search for Distributed Sources at Small Heliocentric Distance in Comets C/2021 A1 (Leonard) and C/2021 O3 (PanSTARRS)

2021, ALMA Cycle 8 2021.1.00985.T, Co-I, Volatile composition of a ToO Interstellar Object: Comparison to Disk and Comet Chemistry

2021, ALMA Cycle 8 2021.1.00911.T, Direct Sublimation vs. Gas-Phase Synthesis: A Comet ToO Proposal

2021, ALMA Cycle 8 2021.1.00828.S, Validating the range of D/H ratios in our Solar System's primitive H2O reservoir

2021B, NASA IRTF, PI, Bridging the ''Rosetta Stone'' of Cometary Science: A Multi-Wavelength, Multi-Epoch Campaign Toward Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko During its First Apparition Since the Conclusion of the Rosetta Mission

2021B, NASA IRTF, PI, Director's Discretionary Time Observations of Centaur 29P/Schassmann-Wachmann-1 During Its Extraordinary Outburst

2021B, Atacama Pathfinder Experiment, PI, A Search for Distributed Sources in a Target of Opportunity Comet

2021B, Atacama Pathfinder Experiment, PI, Unraveling Comet Photochemistry in Oort Cloud Comet C/2021 A1 (Leonard)

2021, James Webb Space Telescope GO 2377, Co-I, Composition of an Interstellar Object -- Unique Insights into Protoplanetary Disk Midplane Chemistry

2021, James Webb Space Telescope GO 1566, Co-I, The Coma Dust and Volatiles of C/2017 K2 (Pan-STARRS)

2021B, NASA IRTF, Co-I, Comprehensive compositional study of exceptionally bright comet C/2021 A1 (Leonard)

2021B, NASA IRTF, Co-I, Characterizing the Parent Volatile Composition and Outgassing of a Target-of-Opportunity Comet

2021, Green Bank Observatory, PI, Mapping NH$_3$ in a Target-of-Opportunity Comet: A Joint GBT/VLA Proposal

2021, IRAM 30m, Co-I, Ground-based truth of the composition of Rosetta target 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

2021, W. M. Keck Observatory, Co-I, Keck/NIRSPEC observations of Rosetta target 67P: The missing link between ground-based and in-situ databases of cometary volatiles

2021, Northern Extended Millimeter Array, PI, The Transition from CO- to H₂O-Dominated Outgassing in Recently Discovered Oort Cloud Comet C/2021 A1 (Leonard)

2021, Arizona Radio Observatory, PI, Monitoring the Activity and Composition of Newly Discovered Oort Cloud Comet C/2021 A1 (Leonard)

2021, Arizona Radio Observatory, PI, Monitoring the Molecular Activity of a Bright ToO Comet

2021, Atacama Pathfinder Experiment, PI, A Search for Distributed Sources in a Target of Opportunity Comet

2021, Northern Extended Millimeter Array, PI, The Evolution of Molecular Outgassing in Distantly Active Comet C/2017 K2: A Joint NOEMA/JWST Monitoring Campaign Across Ice Lines

2021, NASA IRTF, Co-I, Characterizing Parent Volatile Composition and Outgassing in a Target-of-Opportunity Comet

2020, NASA IRTF, PI, Director's Discretionary Time Proposal for Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)

2020B, Arizona Radio Observatory, PI, Monitoring the Molecular Activity of a Bright ToO Comet

2020A, Arizona Radio Observatory, PI, Monitoring the Activity and Composition of Bright Comet C/2017 T2 (PanSTARRS)

2020A, Arizona Radio Observatory, PI, Monitoring the Activity and Composition of Newly Discovered Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)

2020A, Atacama Pathfinder Experiment, PI, A Search for Distributed Sources in a Target of Opportunity Comet

2019, Atacama Pathfinder Experiment, PI, A Coordinated Molecular Survey of Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov

2019, Atacama Large Millimeter Array, Co-I, Direct Sublimation vs. Gas-Phase Synthesis: A Comet ToO Proposal

2019, Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique, Co-I, The activity and composition of Interstellar Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov)

2019, Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique, Co-I, Composition and the origin of formaldehyde in a bright comet

2019, NASA IRTF, Co-I, A Study of Volatile Composition and Possible Asymmetries in C/2017 T2 (PanSTARRS)

2019, NASA IRTF, Co-I, Probing the Compositional Heterogeneity of C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS) using iSHELL and Spitzer

2019, NASA IRTF, Co-I, Continuing the Study of 46P/Wirtanen During Its Historic Apparition: Volatile Composition and Testing for Variability

2018, Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique, Co-I, Composition of comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner and its long-term evolution

2018, NASA IRTF, PI, Testing Seasonal and Evolutionary Effects on Volatile Composition in the Prototypical Carbon-Chain Depleted Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner

2018, NASA IRTF, PI, Probing the Evolutionary History of Comets: An Investigation of the Hypervolatiles CO and CH₄ and Parent Volatile Abundances in the Jupiter-family Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner

2018, W. M. Keck Observatory, Co-I, Parent Volatiles, Near-Nucleus Environment, and Outgassing in Comet 46P/Wirtanen: A Historic Apparition for a Space Mission Priority Target

2018, NASA IRTF, Co-I, The Coma Physical Environment and Water Outgassing in Comets 46P/Wirtanen and 21P/Giacobini-Zinner: Two Outstanding Apparitions of Potential Spacecraft Targets

2018, NASA IRTF, Co-I, A Collaborative Study of the Chemistry of Comet Wirtanen During Its Exceptional 2018 Apparition

2018, NASA IRTF, Co-I, Measuring the CO and CH₄ Abundance in Jupiter family Comet 46P/Wirtanen

2018, NASA IRTF, Co-I, Parent Volatile Abundances and Inner-Coma Physics in Comet C/2017 S3 (PanSTARRS)

2018, NASA IRTF, Co-I, Measurement of Parent Volatiles in Halley-family comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma and Jupiter-family comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels

2018, NASA IRTF, Co-I, SpeX observations of the overall gas and dust composition of five comets during the unusually rich 2018B observing semester

2017, NASA IRTF, PI, Parent Volatile Abundances and Behavior of Volatile Release in Comets 2P/Encke and 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova

2017, NASA IRTF, PI, Target of Opportunity Request for Comet C/2015 V2 (Johnson)

2017, NASA IRTF, Co-I, The Inner Coma Physical Environment of Ecliptic Comets 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova, 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak, and 2P/Encke

2017, NASA IRTF, Co-I, Parent Volatile Abundances and Inner-Coma Physics in Comets C/2015 V2 and C/2015 ER61

2017, NASA IRTF, Co-I, SpeX observations of the overall gas and dust composition of five comets during the unusually rich 2017A observing semester

Publications

Refereed

Willacy, K., N. Turner, B. Bonev, et al. E. Gibb, N. Dello Russo, M. DiSanti, R. J. Vervack, and N. X. Roth. 2022. "Comets in Context: Comparing Comet Compositions with Protosolar Nebula Models." The Astrophysical Journal, 931 (2): 164 [10.3847/1538-4357/ac67e3]

Cordiner, M. A., I. M. Coulson, E. Garcia-Berrios, et al. C. Qi, F. Lique, M. Zołtowski, M. de Val-Borro, Y.-J. Kuan, W.-H. Ip, S. Mairs, N. X. Roth, S. B. Charnley, S. N. Milam, W.-L. Tseng, and Y.-L. Chuang. 2022. "A SUBLIME 3D Model for Cometary Coma Emission: The Hypervolatile-rich Comet C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS)." The Astrophysical Journal, 929 (1): 38 [10.3847/1538-4357/ac5893]

Dello Russo, N., R. J. Vervack, H. Kawakita, et al. B. P. Bonev, M. A. DiSanti, E. L. Gibb, A. J. McKay, A. L. Cochran, H. A. Weaver, N. Biver, J. Crovisier, D. Bockelée-Morvan, H. Kobayashi, W. M. Harris, N. X. Roth, M. Saki, and Y. Khan. 2022. "Volatile Abundances, Extended Coma Sources, and Nucleus Ice Associations in Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)." The Planetary Science Journal, 3 (1): 6 [10.3847/psj/ac323c]

DiSanti, M. A., B. P. Bonev, N. Dello Russo, et al. A. J. McKay, N. X. Roth, M. Saki, E. L. Gibb, R. J. Vervack, Y. Khan, and H. Kawakita. 2021. "Volatile Composition and Outgassing in C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto): Extending Limits for High-resolution Infrared Cometary Spectroscopy between 2.8 and 5.0 μm." The Planetary Science Journal, 2 (6): 225 [10.3847/psj/ac07ae]

Roth, N., S. N. Milam, M. A. Cordiner, et al. D. Bockelée-Morvan, N. Biver, J. Boissier, D. C. Lis, A. J. Remijan, and S. B. Charnley. 2021. "Leveraging the ALMA Atacama Compact Array for Cometary Science: An Interferometric Survey of Comet C/2015 ER61 (PanSTARRS) and Evidence for a Distributed Source of Carbon Monosulfide." ApJ, 921: 14 [https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac0441]

Biver, N., D. Bockelée-Morvan, D. C. Lis, et al. D. Despois, R. Moreno, J. Crovisier, P. Colom, J. Boissier, N. Dello Russo, R. J. Vervack, M. Cordiner, S. Milam, N. X. Roth, B. P. Bonev, M. A. DiSanti, J. K. Davies, and H. Kawakita. 2021. "Molecular composition of short-period comets from millimetre-wave spectroscopy: 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, 38P/Stephan-Oterma, 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák, and 64P/Swift-Gehrels." Astronomy & Astrophysics, 651: A25 [10.1051/0004-6361/202140765]

Biver, N., D. Bockelée-Morvan, J. Boissier, et al. R. Moreno, J. Crovisier, D. C. Lis, P. Colom, M. A. Cordiner, S. N. Milam, N. X. Roth, B. P. Bonev, N. Dello Russo, R. J. Vervack, and M. A. DiSanti. 2021. "Molecular composition of comet 46P/Wirtanen from millimetre-wave spectroscopy." Astronomy & Astrophysics, 648: A49 [10.1051/0004-6361/202040125]

Roth, N., D. Bodewits, B. Bonev, et al. A. Cochran, M. Combi, M. Cordiner, N. D. Russo, M. DiSanti, S. Faggi, L. Feaga, Y. Fernandez, M. Lippi, A. McKay, M. Knight, S. Milam, J. W. Noonan, A. Remijan, and G. Villanueva. 2021. "The Crucial Role of Ground- and Space-Based Remote Sensing Studies of Cometary Volatiles in the Next Decade (2023-2032)." Vol. 53, Issue 4 (Planetary/Astrobiology Decadal Survey Whitepapers), 53 (4): [10.3847/25c2cfeb.14285328]

Roth, N. X., B. P. Bonev, M. A. DiSanti, et al. N. Dello Russo, A. J. McKay, E. L. Gibb, M. Saki, Y. Khan, R. J. Vervack, H. Kawakita, A. L. Cochran, N. Biver, M. A. Cordiner, J. Crovisier, E. Jehin, and H. Weaver. 2021. "The Volatile Composition of the Inner Coma of Comet 46P/Wirtanen: Coordinated Observations Using iSHELL at the NASA-IRTF and Keck/NIRSPEC-2." The Planetary Science Journal, 2 (2): 54 [10.3847/psj/abd706/54]

Roth, N. X., S. N. Milam, M. A. Cordiner, et al. D. Bockelée-Morvan, M. A. DiSanti, J. Boissier, N. Biver, J. Crovisier, N. D. Russo, B. P. Bonev, C. Qi, A. J. Remijan, S. B. Charnley, E. L. Gibb, M. D. Val-Borro, and E. Jehin. 2021. "Rapidly Varying Anisotropic Methanol (CH3OH) Production in the Inner Coma of Comet 46P/Wirtanen as Revealed by the ALMA Atacama Compact Array." The Planetary Science Journal, 2 (2): 55 [10.3847/psj/abdd3a]

Bonev, B. P., N. Dello Russo, M. A. DiSanti, et al. E. C. Martin, G. Doppmann, R. J. Vervack, G. L. Villanueva, H. Kawakita, E. L. Gibb, M. R. Combi, N. X. Roth, M. Saki, A. J. McKay, M. A. Cordiner, D. Bodewits, J. Crovisier, N. Biver, A. L. Cochran, Y. Shou, Y. Khan, and K. Venkataramani. 2021. "First Comet Observations with NIRSPEC-2 at Keck: Outgassing Sources of Parent Volatiles and Abundances Based on Alternative Taxonomic Compositional Baselines in 46P/Wirtanen." The Planetary Science Journal, 2 (2): 45 [10.3847/psj/abd03c]

McKay, A. J., M. A. DiSanti, A. L. Cochran, et al. B. P. Bonev, N. D. Russo, R. J. Vervack, E. Gibb, N. X. Roth, M. Saki, Y. Khan, and H. Kawakita. 2021. "Quantifying the Hypervolatile Abundances in Jupiter-family Comet 46P/Wirtanen." The Planetary Science Journal, 2 (1): 21 [10.3847/psj/abd71d]

Khan, Y., E. L. Gibb, B. P. Bonev, et al. N. X. Roth, M. Saki, M. A. DiSanti, N. D. Russo, R. J. Vervack, A. J. McKay, M. R. Combi, Y. Shou, M. A. Cordiner, H. Kawakita, N. Fougere, and S. Protopapa. 2021. "Testing Short-term Variability and Sampling of Primary Volatiles in Comet 46P/Wirtanen." The Planetary Science Journal, 2 (1): 20 [10.3847/psj/abc95c]

McKay, A. J., and N. X. Roth. 2021. "Organic Matter in Cometary Environments." Life, 11 (1): 37 [10.3390/life11010037]

Saki, M., E. L. Gibb, B. P. Bonev, et al. N. X. Roth, M. A. DiSanti, N. D. Russo, R. J. Vervack, A. J. McKay, and H. Kawakita. 2020. "Carbonyl Sulfide (OCS): Detections in Comets C/2002 T7 (LINEAR), C/2015 ER61 (PanSTARRS), and 21P/Giacobini–Zinner and Stringent Upper Limits in 46P/Wirtanen." The Astronomical Journal, 160 (4): 184 [10.3847/1538-3881/aba522]

Roth, N. X., D. Bodewits, B. Bonev, et al. A. Cochran, M. Combi, M. Cordiner, N. Dello Russo, M. DiSanti, S. Faggi, L. Feaga, Y. Fernandez, M. Lippi, A. McKay, M. Knight, S. Milam, J. W. Noonan, A. Remijan, and G. Villanueva. 2020. "The Crucial Role of Ground- and Space-Based Remote Sensing Studies of Cometary Volatiles in the Next Decade (2023-2032)." arXiv e-prints, arXiv:2007.08568.

Cordiner, M. A., S. N. Milam, N. Biver, et al. D. Bockelée-Morvan, N. X. Roth, E. A. Bergin, E. Jehin, A. J. Remijan, S. B. Charnley, M. J. Mumma, J. Boissier, J. Crovisier, L. Paganini, Y.-J. Kuan, and D. C. Lis. 2020. "Unusually high CO abundance of the first active interstellar comet." Nature Astronomy, [10.1038/s41550-020-1087-2]

Roth, N. X., E. L. Gibb, B. P. Bonev, et al. M. A. DiSanti, N. D. Russo, A. J. McKay, R. J. Vervack, H. Kawakita, M. Saki, N. Biver, D. Bockelée-Morvan, L. M. Feaga, N. Fougere, A. L. Cochran, M. Combi, and Y. Shou. 2020. "Probing the Evolutionary History of Comets: An Investigation of the Hypervolatiles CO, CH4, and C2H6 in the Jupiter-family Comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner." The Astronomical Journal, 159 (2): 42 [10.3847/1538-3881/ab536b]

Dello Russo, N., H. Kawakita, B. P. Bonev, et al. R. J. Vervack, E. L. Gibb, Y. Shinnaka, N. X. Roth, M. A. DiSanti, and A. J. McKay. 2020. "Post-perihelion volatile production and release from Jupiter-family comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková." Icarus, 335 (1): 113411 [10.1016/j.icarus.2019.113411]

McKay, A. J., M. A. DiSanti, M. S. Kelley, et al. M. M. Knight, M. Womack, K. Wierzchos, O. H. Pinto, B. Bonev, G. L. Villanueva, N. D. Russo, A. L. Cochran, N. Biver, J. Bauer, R. J. Vervack, E. Gibb, N. Roth, and H. Kawakita. 2019. "The Peculiar Volatile Composition of CO-dominated Comet C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS)." The Astronomical Journal, 158 (3): 128 [10.3847/1538-3881/ab32e4]

DiSanti, M. A., B. P. Bonev, E. L. Gibb, et al. N. X. Roth, N. D. Russo, and R. J. Vervack. 2018. "Comet C/2013 V5 (Oukaimeden): Evidence for Depleted Organic Volatiles and Compositional Heterogeneity as Revealed through Infrared Spectroscopy." The Astronomical Journal, 156 (6): 258 [10.3847/1538-3881/aade87]

Roth, N. X., E. L. Gibb, B. P. Bonev, et al. M. A. DiSanti, N. Dello Russo, R. J. Vervack, A. J. McKay, and H. Kawakita. 2018. "A Tale of “Two” Comets: The Primary Volatile Composition of Comet 2P/Encke Across Apparitions and Implications for Cometary Science." The Astronomical Journal, 156 (6): 251 [10.3847/1538-3881/aae0f7]

DiSanti, M. A., B. P. Bonev, N. D. Russo, et al. R. J. Vervack, E. L. Gibb, N. X. Roth, A. J. McKay, H. Kawakita, L. M. Feaga, and H. A. Weaver. 2017. "Hypervolatiles in a Jupiter-family Comet: Observations of 45P/Honda–Mrkos–Pajdušáková Using iSHELL at the NASA-IRTF." The Astronomical Journal, 154 (6): 246 [10.3847/1538-3881/aa8639]

Roth, N. X., E. L. Gibb, B. P. Bonev, et al. M. A. DiSanti, M. J. Mumma, G. L. Villanueva, and L. Paganini. 2017. "The Composition of Comet C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) and the Distribution of Primary Volatile Abundances Among Comets." The Astronomical Journal, 153 (4): 168 [10.3847/1538-3881/aa5d18]