Dr. Colwell received his B.S. in Physics from Stetson University and a Ph.D. in Astrophysical, Planetary and Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has been on the faculty at UCF since 2006 and is currently the Interim Dean of the College of Sciences.
I study the origin and evolution of the solar system and in particular small bodies such as planetary rings, asteroids, comets, dust, and small moons. I’m a Co-Investigator on the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) on the Cassini spacecraft, leading observation design and data analysis and interpretation for observations of Saturn’s rings with that instrument. I am Director of the Center for Microgravity Research within the UCF Physics Department where we design, build and operate microgravity experiments to study the early stages of planet formation, the surfaces of small asteroids and moons, and the collisional evolution of planetary rings.
