Evgenya Shkolnik

Evgenya Shkolnik is a Professor of Astrophysics at the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University. She is an internationally recognized expert on exoplanets, stellar activity, and the high-energy radiation environments that shape planetary habitability. Her work spans astrophysics, heliophysics, and planetary science, integrating observations from ground-based observatories and major space facilities including Hubble and JWST.

She pioneered the use of magnetic star–planet interactions to probe exoplanetary magnetic fields, accomplishing the first measurements of magnetic field strengths for hot Jupiters. Her research has advanced the field of exo-space weather, defining how stellar flares, ultraviolet radiation, and coronal mass ejections drive atmospheric escape and long-term planetary evolution. . Through large ultraviolet surveys of low-mass stars, she leads teams that map how high-energy radiation environments evolve over time and place our Sun in broader astrophysical context.

Professor Shkolnik is the Principal Investigator of SPARCS (Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat), one of NASA’s first astrophysics CubeSat missions, leading a multi-institutional team from concept through launch and science operations. She directs spacecraft and instrument development, systems engineering coordination, budget and risk oversight, and collaboration with NASA centers and industry partners.

She has held PI, Deputy-PI, and Science Team roles on multiple NASA and international mission concepts, including MIDEX and SMEX-class proposals aligned with the Astro2020 Decadal Survey. 

In 2025, she was selected as Co-Chair of the Habitable Worlds Observatory Community Science and Instrumentation Team, helping guide the scientific vision and instrument priorities for NASA’s next flagship observatory.  

She has authored more than 150 refereed publications and secured over $100M in funded research programs. She also serves in senior leadership roles, including Associate Director of ASU’s Interplanetary Initiative (2018–2025) and Distinguished Visiting Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2024–present), managing large interdisciplinary teams and coordinating across academia, NASA centers, and industry.

Through her combined experience in mission execution, strategic planning, instrumentation development, and community science leadership, she works at the interface of discovery science and spaceflight program leadership.