Pratik Santra

I am a PhD student in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona, where I began my doctoral journey in 2023. I have always been fascinated by how volcanoes work—the forces, processes, and conditions that shape eruptions. Studying geoscience has allowed me to pursue this curiosity at the planetary scale.

My current research focuses on unraveling the Moon's volcanic history using samples from the Apollo 15 and Apollo 17 missions. I study lunar pyroclasts—specifically the vesicle size, shape, number density, volume fraction, and bubble-coalescence textures preserved within volcanic glass beads. These textures act as snapshots of the eruption conditions. Through detailed analyses, our goal is to answer a fundamental question: Why and under what conditions do bubbles form and evolve in ascending lunar magma, and how are these bubble structures preserved as pyroclasts solidify on the Moon’s surface?

Under the guidance of my advisor, Dr. Pranabendu Moitra, I aim to reconstruct the physical conditions of the explosive eruptions that produced these iconic lunar glass beads. By decoding the vesicle textures, we hope to constrain the origin, ascent dynamics, and emplacement conditions of these volcanic materials—and, ultimately, to better understand the nature of lunar volcanism itself.

Outside of research, I enjoy stargazing, playing with my pet, playing cricket, traveling through mountain landscapes, and cooking. Bear Down!

Research Interests:

Volcanology, Igneous Petrology, Planetary Science

Awards and Recognitions:

• Second Place, Student Oral Talk Competition — NASA Exploration Science Forum 2025

• Selected for the Galileo Circle Scholar 2024-2025

• Selected for the Spencer R. Titley Graduate Fellowship Summer, 2024 at the University of Arizona