Noemi Pinilla-Alonso

Noemí Pinilla-Alonso (born in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain) is a Spanish planetary scientist and researcher at the University of Oviedo, where she is a member of the Institute for Space Sciences and Technology in Asturias (ICTEA).[1] Her research focuses on the origin and evolution of the Solar System through the study of small bodies using ground- and space-based telescopes. She is the principal investigator of the James Webb Space Telescope program DiSCo-TNOs, dedicated to exploring the surface composition of trans-Neptunian objects.

Education and early career

Pinilla-Alonso earned her B.Sc. in Physics from the University of La Laguna in Tenerife in 1997, followed by an M.Sc. in Cosmic Physics in 2003 and a Ph.D. in Physical Sciences in 2009, both with the distinction Summa Cum Laude. From 2000 to 2008, she worked at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (La Palma). Initially, she was responsible for the calibration of an automated system measuring infrared sky quality based on GPS technology.[2] Later, she served as a telescope operator at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG). After completing her Ph.D., she held postdoctoral research positions at the NASA Ames Research Center, the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Florida Space Institute, University of Central Florida

In 2015, after a research stay at the Observatório do Valongo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Pinilla-Alonso joined the Florida Space Institute (FSI) as a visiting researcher.[3] In 2016, she was appointed Associate Research Scientist in Planetary Sciences and later became Research Professor, a position she combined with an appointment as Associate Scientist in the Department of Physics at the University of Central Florida (UCF)[3]

When UCF assumed management of the Arecibo Observatory in 2017, Pinilla-Alonso joined its leadership team. From 2017 until the observatory’s closure in 2023, she served as Deputy Principal Scientist, promoting integration between Arecibo’s research community and UCF’s academic environment, and advocating for the observatory within the radio astronomy, planetary science, and atmospheric science communities.[4] Between December 2018 and April 2021, she also held the position of Chief Scientist, facilitating the redefinition of Arecibo’s scientific program. She played a role in organizing the 2019 forum “Future Pathways of the Arecibo Observatory”,[5] which established Arecibo’s strategic science and technology priorities and coordinated its participation in the Decadal Survey of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

Research on the origin and evolution of the solar system

Pinilla-Alonso’s work seeks to understand the formation and evolution of the Solar System by combining spectroscopic observations and light-scattering models to study complex icy and rocky surfaces. Her research includes the surface characterization of dwarf planets such as Eris, Makemake, and particularly Haumea and its collisional family. She is co-leader of the PRIMASS survey,[6][7] which provides visible and near-infrared spectra for over 600 primitive asteroids shared with the community as PRIMASS-Library.[8] She has also contributed to support major space missions such as NASA’s New Horizons, OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and JAXA’s Hayabusa2 by coordinating observations campaigns to provide detailed characterization of their targets[9], [6],[10]

Surface Composition of trans-neptunian objects

Since 2021, Pinilla-Alonso has led DiSCo (Discovering the Composition of Trans-Neptunian Objects), one of the James Webb Space Telescope’s early large programs.[11] With nearly 100 hours of observing time, DiSCo collects infrared spectra (0.8–5.2 μm) of about 60 Centaurs and trans-Neptunian objects, unveiling for the first time the intricate mixture of ices and dust that defines the outer Solar System. The program also established a compositional taxonomy for trans-Neptunian objects, linking their spectral slopes and absorption features to differences in surface composition and evolutionary history.[12] Beyond characterizing TNO surfaces, DiSCo provides a window into the primordial building blocks of icy worlds. It links the chemical and physical processes shaping our Solar System to those operating in exoplanetary systems, offering insights into planetary formation and evolution on a universal scale.[13]

Universidad de Oviedo

In 2025, Noemí Pinilla-Alonso returned to the University of Oviedo after receiving an ATRAE fellowship.[14]

Awards and recognition

  • 2025 – El Comercio Science Award[15]
  • 2025 – Invited keynote speaker at the Solemn Ceremony of Saint Thomas Aquino, University of Oviedo[16]
  • 2022 – Major Deming Orange County Distinguished Resident Award for exemplifying collaboration, innovation, and inclusion[17]
  • 2021 – LIFE–UCF Women Faculty Recognition Award for impact on students and campus community[18]
  • 2019 – UCF Luminary Award for fostering major research collaborations at FSI, CLASS, and Arecibo Observatory[19]
  • 2018 – Asturian of the Month (La Nueva España, May 2018)[20]
  • 2017 – Asteroid 10689 pinillaalonso, named in her honor by the International Astronomical Union[21]

References

  1. ^ "Inicio - Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnologías Espaciales de Asturias - portalesweb.uniovi.es". Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnologías Espaciales de Asturias. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  2. ^ Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Kidger, M.; Espinosa, J. (2002). Operation of the IAC water vapour monitors in observatory conditions. Astronomical Site Evaluation in the Visible and Radio Range. Astronomical Site Evaluation in the Visible and Radio Range. Vol. 266. Astronomical Society of the Pacific. pp. 216–220. Bibcode:2002ASPC..266..216P.
  3. ^ a b "UCF Physics Department". Physics Department UCF, USA.
  4. ^ "Arecibo Observatory to Offer New Opportunities for Visiting Scientists" (in en‑US).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  5. ^ Pinilla-Alonso, Noemí (February 17–20, 2019). Pathways to the Future of the Arecibo Observatory (AO). Workshop (NSF Award Report). San Juan, Puerto Rico: Directorate for Geosciences, Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, National Science Foundation. Bibcode:2019nsf....1921774P. NSF Award Number 1921774.
  6. ^ a b PRIMitive Asteroids Spectroscopic Survey (PRIMASS): the past as a puzzle (Project Grant Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 2017. Bibcode:2017nasa.prop.0097P. NASA Proposal ID: 17-PDART17_2-0097; Award ID: 80NSSC18K0530.
  7. ^ Pinilla-Alonso, Noemí; Nascimento De Pra, Mario; de León, Julia; Lorenzi, Vania; Morate, David; Harvison, Brittany; Arredondo, Anicia; Licandro, Javier; Campins, Humberto; Sarid, Gal (2022). The PRIMitive Asteroids Spectroscopic Survey Library, PRIMASS-L, is ready for you to dive in!!!. AAS Division of Planetary Sciences Meeting #54. Vol. 54. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. Bibcode:2022DPS....5450409P. 504.09.
  8. ^ "PRIMASS-L Spectra | PDS SBN Asteroid/Dust Subnode". sbn.psi.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  9. ^ Pinilla-Alonso, Noemí; Popescu, Marcel; Fernández-Valenzuela, Estela; Licandro, Javier; Duffard, René; Castro, Joel; Murillo, Raúl M.; Grundy, William; Reyes-Ruiz, Mauricio; Silva, José (2018). The hypnotic dance of Patroclus and Menoetius: Ground-based observations of their 2017-2018 mutual event season. AAS Division of Planetary Sciences Meeting #50. Vol. 50. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. Bibcode:2018DPS....5020002P. 200.02.
  10. ^ Pinilla‑Alonso, Noemí; Emery, Joshua; Cruikshank, Dale P. (2016). Mission Support – New Horizons Kuiper Extended Mission (Project Proposal). Spitzer Space Telescope. Bibcode:2016sptz.prop13152P. Spitzer Proposal ID: 13152.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Bannister, M.; Brunetto, R.; Cruikshank, D. P.; De Pra, M. N.; Emery, J. P.; Guilbert-Lepoutre, A.; Holler, B. J.; Lorenzi, V.; Muller, T.; Peixinho, N.; Pendleton, Y. J.; Stansberry, J. A.; de Souza Feliciano, A. C. (2021). "DiSCo-TNOs: Discovering the Surface Composition of Trans-Neptunian Objects". JWST Proposal 2418. NASA / STScI: 2418. Bibcode:2021jwst.prop.2418P.
  12. ^ Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Brunetto, R.; De Prá, M. N.; Holler, B. J.; Hénault, E.; Feliciano, A. C. de S.; Lorenzi, V.; Pendleton, Y. J.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Müller, T. G.; Stansberry, J. A.; Emery, J. P.; Schambeau, C. A.; Licandro, J.; Harvison, B.; McClure, L.; Guilbert-Lepoutre, A.; Peixinho, N.; Bannister, M. T.; Wong, I. (2025). "A JWST/DiSCo-TNOs portrait of the primordial Solar System". Nature Astronomy. 9: 230–244. Bibcode:2025NatAs...9..230P. doi:10.1038/s41550-024-02433-2.
  13. ^ Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Brunetto, R.; Stansberry, J.; Holler, B.; Hammel, H.; Lunine, J. I.; Hines, D. C.; Milam, S. (2025). JWST marks a new era in the exploration of ices and dust in our Solar System and beyond. EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2025. Copernicus Meetings. doi:10.5194/epsc-dps2025-1796.
  14. ^ Salas, Mónica G. (2024-11-02). "Noemí Pinilla ya hace ciencia de primer nivel en Asturias: 'Quiero dar clases y tener contacto con los estudiantes'". La Nueva España (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  15. ^ Villa, Octavio (2025-10-08). "Noemí Pinilla: «Dar respuesta a preguntas universales precisa todos los saberes de grandes equipos»". El Comercio: Diario de Asturias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  16. ^ Á, P. (2025-01-27). "Noemí Pinilla Alonso, investigadora: 'Vamos a liderar el nuevo conocimiento del Sistema Solar'". La Nueva España (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  17. ^ "Ornage County Distinguished Resident Award: Noemi Pinilla-Alonso, Ph.D." OCFL Newsroom. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  18. ^ Lee, Jenna (2021-03-04). "2021 Women's History Month Honorees". University of Central Florida News | UCF Today. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  19. ^ Kotala, Zenaida (2019-10-24). "9 Luminary Award Recipients Honored for Making an Impact on the World". University of Central Florida News | UCF Today. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  20. ^ P, T. (2019-01-09). "Noemí Pinilla-Alonso: 'Desde España se puede llegar muy lejos en el mundo de la ciencia'". La Nueva España (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  21. ^ https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=pinillaalonso
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