My main area of research is the dynamics of the gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn. Together with Yohai Kaspi, I study the atmospheres and interiors of the giant planets, especially Jupiter and Saturn. Our research asks how the large-scale winds seen at the cloud tops extend into the deep interior, and how those hidden flows can be constrained from spacecraft measurements. To answer these questions, we develop physical and computational methods that connect planetary dynamics to gravity, magnetic-field, and radio-occultation observations.
A major part of my work has focused on using data from NASA’s Juno and Cassini missions to reveal the structure of the gas giants. This includes studies of Jupiter’s shape from Juno radio occultations, new constraints on the depth and strength of Saturn’s zonal jets from Cassini gravity measurements, and methods for combining atmospheric dynamics with interior models in a consistent way. More recently, this work has expanded into the thermal structure of Jupiter’s atmosphere, the dynamics of its polar regions, and machine-learning-based approaches for characterizing giant-planet interiors.
I am a Co-Investigator on ESA’s JUICE mission and lead the mission's Working Group 4 on Jupiter’s atmosphere. I am also a member of the NASA Juno science team. These mission roles are closely connected to my broader interest in how precise spacecraft observations can be turned into physical constraints on planetary structure, circulation, and evolution.
Alongside my planetary research, I also work on problems in Earth’s climate system. With a background in physical oceanography and climate dynamics, I study large-scale circulation and ocean–atmosphere interactions, bringing tools from geophysical fluid dynamics to both planetary and terrestrial problems.
Together with Yohai Kaspi, I study the large-scale flows on these planets using forward and inverse modeling. We develop methods that relate the flow dynamics of the gas giants to gravity and magnetic field measurements obtained by NASA’s Juno and Cassini missions.
I am a Co-Investigator on the European Space Agency’s JUICE mission, where our Israeli-built USO instrument is installed, and I co-lead the mission’s Jupiter Atmosphere Working Group.
In addition, with a background in physical oceanography and climate dynamics, I also study topics related to Earth’s climate system.
