Ishan Mishra

Staff Scientist at Caltech/IPAC

I am a planetary scientist and astronomer specializing in the spectrophotometric analysis of planetary surfaces. My work primarily focuses on maximizing the science return of NASA missions through pipeline development and analysis, a role often described as 'mission science.' In addition to this work, I conduct synergistic research projects that complement and inform the missions I support.

Image credit: NASA/IPAC-Caltech

IPAC is home to the NEO Surveyor Data System (NSDS) team, where we are developing the main data pipeline to identify moving objects from the survey to be conducted by the NEO Surveyor space telescope following its launch in late 2027. At IPAC, I serve as the Moving Object Scientist responsible for the Moving Object Detection Pipeline (MODP). This component of the pipeline is tasked with linking sources in survey images that belong to the same object moving across the sky. We are currently testing and fine-tuning the MODP on large volumes of realistically simulated survey data with the goal of maximizing its ability to detect tracklets of near-Earth objects (NEOs).

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Europa Clipper—the largest planetary science mission ever flown—is currently en route to the Jupiter system, with arrival expected in early 2030. I serve as a professional affiliate on the Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE) team. In this capacity, I contribute to strategic science planning through various focus groups and working groups. Currently, I am leading an internal science team project, awarded in 2025, to characterize Europa’s photometric properties across diverse geological terrains and wavelengths. Additionally, my work within the MISE team involves optimizing the science that can be done with MISE at a regional-scale on Europa by studying the planned flybs.

Research

Below are summaries of my active projects. For a complete list of past work and collaborations, please visit my ADS library or Google Scholar profile.

An Omnibus Photometric Model of Europa

The way Europa’s icy surface reflects light provides critical clues about its composition, texture, and geological history. I am leading an internally funded project to develop a comprehensive photometric model that accurately describes these light-surface interactions across various terrain types and wavelengths. By utilizing existing spacecraft data, this model will assist in planning camera-based observations and establish a vital baseline for comparing future findings from the Europa Clipper mission.

Synergies Between JWST and NEO Surveyor

Image generated by Gemini

I am exploring new avenues to leverage high-resolution spectroscopic data from JWST to maximize the scientific return of the NEO Surveyor mission. One key area of interest is utilizing temporally resolved JWST spectra of fast and slow-rotating NEOs to better constrain beaming parameters and thermal drag—critical factors for the thermal modeling of the high-phase observations NEO-S will collect. Furthermore, I am investigating methods to "bridge" these datasets: using a small, high-resolution sample from JWST to calibrate and inform the physical inferences we can draw from the massive, lower-resolution photometric survey provided by NEO-S. This work aims to develop cross-platform modeling frameworks that link detailed spectroscopy to broad-band survey results.

JWST Characterization of HAT-P-65b

While my primary expertise is in the spectrophotometry of Solar System bodies, I am also interested in applying spectroscopic inference methods to exoplanets. I am currently a member of the JWST collaboration analyzing data from GO Program #3969 (“Hot Jupiter Atmospheric Forecast: Are mornings cloudier than evenings on other worlds?”). Specifically, I am co-leading the spectroscopic retrieval analysis of the hot Jupiter HAT-P-65b using the POSEIDON framework to investigate its gaseous and aerosol composition.

FROSTIE

The primary product of my PhD work at Cornell is FROSTIE, an open-source spectroscopic retrieval tool written in Python. It enables efficient modeling of reflectance spectra for icy planetary surfaces based on the Hapke model, with a Bayesian inference wrapper that provides robust parameter estimation and model-fitting capabilities. Developed following standard open-source guidelines for scientific software, FROSTIE is designed to be accessible and extensible. Currently, I am working on FROSTIE version 2.0, with GUI capabilities and better support for photometric analysis of small bodies. A software paper describing the tool is also currently under review at the Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS).

I grew up in various towns in India and moved to the US in 2017 for grad school. Since then, I’ve called New York, Michigan, and now California home. Outside of my work, I have many interests, such as staying active through competitive sports, playing guitar, and singing. I also enjoy visiting local theaters, museums and coffee shops with my wife. As an avid foodie, I love discovering the many cuisines that a big metropolis like Los Angeles has to offer.