Dr. Christopher R. Webster

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Dr. Christopher R. Webster is a Senior Research Scientist at Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) where he has worked since 1981. He is the Group Leader of the Atmospheric Laser Spectroscopy Group that he formed in 1985 to study the photochemistry and dynamics of Earth and planetary atmospheres through a program of developing and flying balloon, aircraft, and spacecraft state-of-the-art laser spectrometers for gas and isotope analysis.  He is also the Lead Scientist for JPL's Atmospheric Chemistry Research Element.

Dr. Webster has worked at leading institutions in England (Bristol University), France (Paris Observatory), and the USA (Stanford University, and JPL) in the fields of chemical physics, laser spectroscopy and atmospheric research.  In 1974 he received his B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemical Physics with Mathematics from Reading University in England, being introduced to the fascinating world of spectroscopy by Professors Ian Mills and Mike Hollas.   He received his Ph.D. at age 24 from Bristol University in Chemical Physics, working under the supervision of Professor Richard Dixon, and went on to do post-doctoral research with Dr. Francois Rostas (Paris Observatory) and Professor Richard Zare (Stanford University).  Early laboratory studies included the use of continuous-wave and pulsed UV, visible and infrared lasers using absorption, fluorescence, Stark, optoacoustic, and optogalvanic detection to study atomic and molecular species including radicals and ions.

Since coming to JPL over 24 years ago, Dr. Webster has built up a strong instrument development and flight measurements group which has pioneered the application of tunable laser spectroscopy to in situ detection and measurement of atmospheric gases from balloon, aircraft, and spacecraft platforms for Earth and planetary applications. Dr. Webster has been the Principal Investigator of the Balloon-borne Laser In Situ Sensor experiment (BLISS), leading the experiment through 12 balloon flights from 1983-92.  At age 35, in 1988 Dr. Webster was appointed the Section Manager of the Earth and Ocean Sciences Section (322) for two years, being responsible for 7 research groups and about 150 employees. During 1991/2, he was appointed a Visiting Full Professor at Caltech's Dept. of Geological and Planetary Sciences.  Dr. Webster is the Principal Investigator for the Aircraft Laser Infrared Absorption Spectrometer (ALIAS) instrument, that has now flown over 350 times on NASA’s ER-2 and WB-57 aircraft producing measurements of HCl, NO2, N2O, CO, CO2, CH4, and water isotopes while participating in several major NASA aircraft missions operating out of California, Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Fiji, Sweden, Costa Rica and New Zealand: AASE-II (1991/2), SPADE (1993), ASHOE/MAESA (1994), STRAT (1995/6), POLARIS (1997), TIES (1999), SOLVE (1999/2000), CRYSTAL-FACE (2002), and Pre-AVE (2004).   Dr. Webster is also the Principal Investigator for the Aircraft Laser Infrared Absorption Spectrometer (ALIAS-II) spectrometer developed for UAV aircraft deployment and reconfigured for balloon platform, which has flown in 11 highly successful flights out of Ft. Sumner, New Mexico, Fairbanks, Alaska, Brazil, and Sweden.  

In 1984 Dr. Webster pioneered the miniaturization of laser spectrometers for planetary application with the successful development of the multi-gas and particle Probe Infrared Laser Spectrometer (PIRLS) instrument for Saturn’s moon Titan, and the 1991 Mars IR Laser Spectrometer (MIRLS) proposed for the Mars Airplane. Dr. Webster is Principal Investigator for several new instrument development activities (MIDP, PIDDP, ASTID, ASTEP, IIP), undertaking definition and development activities including a Mars biogenic and isotope ratio gas spectrometer. Dr. Webster is also Principal Investigator for another new initiative to incorporate room-temperature mid-IR Quantum-Cascade lasers into miniature spectrometers for Mars, Titan, Venus, and Europa by measuring atmospheric and evolved gases, and their isotopic ratios.  Dr. Webster was appointed a team leader for JPL's Grand Challenge initiative, to identify chemical signatures of life on other planets from biogenic gas detection and isotopic ratio determination.  Recently, Dr. Webster's Tunable Laser Spectrometer (TLS) was selected as part of the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite on board the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) due to launch in 2009.

Dr. Webster has twice received the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (1992, 2004), has received 13 NASA Group Achievement Awards (1989-2004) several of which he was the team leader, and 13 NASA Tech Briefs.  He has authored more than 130 refereed scientific journal publications (~40 are first author) in spectroscopy, chemical physics, atmospheric science, and laser instrumentation, including 7 magazine covers.  For making the world’s first in situ measurements of water isotopes in and out of clouds, Dr. Webster received the JPL Ed Stone Award in 2003 for outstanding research publication (Science, Dec. 2003).  He is currently developing laser instrumentation for measuring isotope ratios on Earth and Mars.

Personal:  Born in Wales, Christopher R. Webster was brought up in Scotland and England.  His parents, married for over 50 years, are Donald and Pamela Webster, of Surrey in England.  His Scottish father, Donald, was once a coal-miner, who later worked at the Bank of England in London.  His English mother, Pamela, was a teacher for Special Education and autistic children.  One of five children, Chris's education began at the University of Reading (B.Sc. Hons, Chemical Physics) with Professor Ian Mills, and at Bristol University (Ph.D., Molecular Spectroscopy) with Professor Richard N. Dixon in England.  His post-doctoral research was done with Dr. Francois Rostas at the Paris Observatory in France, and with Professor Richard N. Zare at Stanford University in California.  Earlier studies focused on laser spectroscopy, chemistry and physics.  Since coming to JPL in 1981 to join Dr. Robert Menzies' Laser Remote Sensing Group, Dr. Webster formed his own group in 1985, the Atmospheric Laser Spectroscopy Group, and focused on in situ atmospheric chemistry and dynamics research through interpreting scientific data collected by laser instruments designed, built, and flown (on aircraft, balloon, and spacecraft platforms) by his group.
Chris is married to the beautiful and intelligent Julie C. Webster,  a Computer Scientist with JPL. They live in La Canada, California, with Julie's two children John (11) and Jeff (16), and Chris's two children Philip (24) and Genevieve (26).  Chris enjoys time with the family, dancing, working on cars, working on the house, barbecuing, playing the harmonica, listening to Edith Piath, Led Zeppelin, ELP, opera and other music, and writing poetry.
        Dr. Christopher R. Webster
        Jet Propulsion Laboratory
        Mail Stop 183-401
        4800 Oak Grove Drive
        Pasadena, CA 91109
        Tel: (818) 354-7478          FAX: (818) 393-4485
        Chris.R.Webster@jpl.nasa.gov
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