J. M. Christoph, Ph.D.

My work encompasses space, geology, materials, transportation, and the systems we build and use to interface with them.

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I hold a PhD in Space Exploration Systems from Arizona State University. My academic research focuses on planetary materials, investigating the surface properties of metallic and metal-rich asteroids. I perform a variety of laboratory experiments on meteorite samples to study processes in space that modify asteroid surfaces over geologic time. The goal is to predict how an object thoroughly weathered by the space environment would appear to remote sensing instruments on telescopes and spacecraft.

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Beyond purely academic research, I also spend a lot of time working on the built environment: cities, transportation, land use, and sustainable development. I have been a part of numerous successful election campaigns and ballot measures for improving public transit infrastructure, most proudly the "No on Proposition 105" campaign in Phoenix in 2019. I have previously served three terms as Transportation Commissioner for the City of Tempe, AZ. Currently I represent the District of Columbia on the National Council of the Rail Passengers Association.