Curriculum Vitae

Benjamin Idini · Postdoctoral Researcher, UC Santa Cruz

Research Interests

Solar System Exploration · Planetary Interiors and Evolution · Ocean Worlds · Tidal Interactions · Extraterrestrial Seismology · Planet Formation · Gravity Radio Science · Earthquake Mechanics · Earthquake Ground Motion · Tectonic Deformation

Education

2017 – 2022

PhD in Planetary Science

California Institute of Technology

Advisor: David Stevenson

2017 – 2019

MS in Geophysics

California Institute of Technology

2014 – 2016

MS in Earthquake Engineering

Universidad de Chile

Advisors: Fabián Rojas and Sergio Ruiz

2009 – 2013

BS in Structural Engineering

Universidad de Chile

Academic Appointments

2024 – present

Vera Rubin Postdoctoral Fellow

UC Santa Cruz

2022 – 2024

UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow

UC Santa Cruz

2017 – 2022

Graduate R/T Assistant

California Institute of Technology

2016 – 2017

Research Geophysicist

Universidad de Chile

Planetary Exploration

2024 – present

Interior Working Group Co-chair

Juno Mission, NASA

2024 – present

ICONS Undergraduate Research Mentor

Europa Clipper, NASA

2023 – present

Science Team Affiliate

Europa Clipper Mission, NASA

2020 – present

Science Team Member

Juno Mission, NASA

2019 – present

Affiliate

Keck Institute for Space Studies, Caltech–JPL

2022

Planetary Science Summer School

NASA – Jet Propulsion Laboratory

2018

Science Crew, R/V Marcus G. Langseth

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Puysegur Trench

Manuscripts in Preparation

Idini, B. (2025). Stratification of the global oceans of Europa and Ganymede.

Idini, B. (2025). The bimodal extension of Jupiter’s dilute core.

Sun, J. & Idini, B. (2025). Episodic heating of Europa driven by Jupiter’s core evolution.

Dallin, N. & Idini, B. (2025). Automatic crater identification on icy surfaces via deep learning.

Refereed Publications

16. Yarza, R., et al., including Idini, B. (2025). Evolution of the ZTF SLRN-2020 star-planet merger. arXiv:2507.05365

15. Park, R. S., et al., including Idini, B. (2025). Io’s tidal response precludes a shallow magma ocean. Nature. doi

14. Tulekeyev, A., et al., including Idini, B. (2024). Constraints on the long-term existence of dilute cores in giant planets. PSJ, 5(8), 190. doi

13. Flores-Cuba, J., et al., including Idini, B. (2024). Mechanisms and seismological signatures of rupture complexity induced by fault damage zones. GRL, 51(11). doi

12. Idini, B. & Nimmo, F. (2024). Resonant stratification in Titan’s global ocean. PSJ, 5(1), 15. doi

11. Idini, B., et al. (2024). Double distance dependence in high-frequency ground motion along the plate boundary in Northern Chile. JSAES, 133. doi

10. Howard, S., et al., including Idini, B. (2023). Jupiter’s interior from Juno: EOS uncertainties and dilute core extent. A&A, 672. doi

9. Idini, B. & Stevenson, D.J. (2022). The gravitational imprint of an interior-orbital resonance in Jupiter-Io. PSJ, 3(4), 89. doi

8. Idini, B. & Stevenson, D.J. (2022). The lost meaning of Jupiter’s high-degree Love numbers. PSJ, 3(1), 11. doi

7. Idini, B. & Stevenson, D.J. (2021). Dynamical tides in Jupiter as revealed by Juno. PSJ, 2(2), 69. doi

6. Idini, B. & Ampuero, J.-P. (2020). Fault-zone damage promotes pulse-like rupture and back-propagating fronts via quasi-static effects. GRL, 47(23). doi

5. Erickson, B., et al., including Idini, B. (2020). The community code verification exercise for SEAS. SRL, 91(2A), 874-890. doi

4. Ross, Z., Idini, B., et al. (2019). Hierarchical interlocked orthogonal faulting in the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. Science, 366, 6463. doi

3. Gurnis, M., et al., including Idini, B. (2019). Incipient subduction at the contact with stretched continental crust: The Puysegur Trench. EPSL, 520, 212-219. doi

2. Leyton, F., et al., including Idini, B. (2018). Empirical site classification of CSN network using strong-motion records. SRL, 89(2A), 512-518. doi

1. Idini, B., et al. (2017). Ground motion prediction equations for the Chilean subduction zone. Bull. Earthquake Eng., 15, 5. doi

Software Publications

2. Idini, B. (2023). Interiorize: Simple Models of Planetary Tides. github.com/bidini/interiorize

1. Luo, Y., Ampuero, J.P., et al., including Idini, B. (2017). QDYN: a Quasi-DYNamic earthquake simulator (v1.1). Zenodo

Grants, Honors & Awards

2025

Europa Clipper ICONS mentor

NASA ($18,189)

2025

Juno mission subcontract

NASA ($146,039)

2024

Juno mission subcontract

NASA ($65,815)

2024

Vera Rubin Postdoctoral Fellowship

UC Santa Cruz ($55,620)

2024

Europa Clipper ICONS mentor

NASA ($15,017)

2022

UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship

University of California ($552,760)

2021

AGU Outstanding Student Presentation Award

American Geophysical Union

2017

GPS Division Fellowship

California Institute of Technology ($70,000)

2016

Highest Distinction Major Graduate

Universidad de Chile

2014

CONICYT Master of Science Fellowship

Ministry of Education, Chile ($17,000)

2012

Bicentenario Scholarship

Ministry of Education, Chile ($10,000)

Invited Seminars & Colloquia

UC Davis, Earth and Planetary Science · April 2025

Cornell University, Planetary Seminar · January 2025

Cornell University, Astronomy Colloquium · January 2025

Southwest Research Institute, Boulder · October 2024

San Francisco State University, Physics & Astronomy · September 2024

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, HEDS Seminar · September 2024

UC Santa Cruz, Astronomy & Astrophysics Colloquium · May 2024

Stanford University, Geophysics Seminar · May 2024

UC Merced, Physics Colloquium · February 2024

UC Berkeley, Earth and Planetary Science · January 2024

MIT, EAPS Lecture Series · May 2023

UC Santa Cruz, Geophysical & Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics · May 2023

UC Davis, Earth and Planetary Science · April 2023

UC Santa Cruz, EPS Whole Earth Seminar · April 2023

UC San Diego & SDSU, Astrophysics Seminar · March 2023

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, IGPP Seminar · February 2023

UC Berkeley, Center for Integrative Planetary Science · February 2023

Rice University, EEPS Colloquium · January 2023

UCLA, Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences Colloquium · October 2022

UC Santa Cruz, Planetary Lunch Seminar · November 2022

Universidad de Chile, Department of Geophysics · June 2022

Caltech, DIX Planetary Science Seminar · April 2021

Caltech, DIX Planetary Science Seminar · June 2020

Selected Conference Presentations

H-He and the extension of Jupiter’s dilute core (invited oral), Warm Dense Matter Workshop, Santa Fe · 2025

Stable stratification in the global oceans of Europa and Ganymede (oral), AGU · 2024

Resonant stratification in Titan’s global ocean (oral), AGU · 2023

Resonant stratification in Titan and other icy satellites (oral), DPS-EPSC · 2023

The gravitational imprint of dynamical tides in Jupiter (invited oral), AGU · 2022

The Case for SmallSats: Enhancing the Uranus Mission (poster), LPI Uranus Workshop · 2023

Future investigations of ocean dynamics in ocean worlds (oral), BAPSC · 2023

A tale of two planets: dilute cores in Jupiter and Saturn (oral), UC PPFP · 2023

Tidal constraints on Jupiter’s dilute core (poster), AGU · 2021

Dynamical tides in the Jovian System (poster), AGU · 2020

The first three days of the 2019 Ridgecrest sequence (poster), SCEC · 2019

Bayesian image of the 2017 Kermanshah sequence (oral), AGU · 2018

Rupture complexity from damaged fault zones (poster), AGU · 2017

Empirical dynamic amplification factors (oral), 16WCEE · 2017

Ground motion prediction equations for Chile (poster), 2GSEV · 2016

Students Supervised

2025

Jasmine Sun

Brown University (NASA ICONS)

Europa’s orbital voyage and the imprints it left on its ice shell

2024 – present

Dallin Nelson

Southern Utah University (NASA ICONS)

Dating Europa’s terrain with deep learning

2024

Tyler Yuen

San Jose State University (NASA ICONS)

Tidal modeling of Europa’s ocean

2024 – present

Rafael Cottom

UC Santa Cruz

Thermomechanical modeling of Europa’s ice shell

2023 – present

Richard Truong

San Francisco State University (Lamat)

Planet engulfment and stellar structure

2016 – 2017

Diego González

Universidad de Chile

Ground motion spectra of earthquakes in Chile

Teaching

2025

Instructor of Record: Overview of the Universe

UC Santa Cruz

2024 – 2025

Guest Lecturer: Physics of Planetary Systems; Research Practicum for Astrophysics; Intro to the Solar System

UC Santa Cruz & UC Merced

2019 – 2022

Teaching Assistant

Caltech — Planetary Physics, Planetary Structure & Evolution, Geodynamics, Freshman Seminar

2015

Teaching Assistant

Universidad de Chile — Advanced Structural Dynamics, Seismic Design

Mentorship, Leadership & Outreach

Primary convener, AGU: Gas Giants session; DPS-EPSC: Giant Planet Interiors session · 2022 – 2025

Mentor, Lamat undergraduate research program, UC Santa Cruz · 2023 – present

Mentor, Eugene Cota-Robles Fellowship program, UC Santa Cruz · 2022 – 2023

Guide & speaker, La Noche de las Estrellas, Lick Observatory & SFSU · 2023 – 2025

Panelist, Europa Clipper educational event for high school students, Puerto Rico · 2023

Invited speaker, NASA Hyperwall Exhibition, AGU Fall Meeting · 2022

Invited speaker, Science Journeys, Caltech · 2021 – 2022

Host, Astronomía en el Bar (Caltech, in Spanish) · 2021

Speaker, Urban Math Collaborative, Long Beach USD · 2021

Mentor, Caltech International Graduate Student Buddy Program · 2020 – 2021

Judge, Caltech Summer Undergraduate Research poster competition · 2020 – 2021

Mentor, EPS/ESCI Undergraduate program, UC Santa Cruz · 2022

Panelist, Science for March booth, Caltech · 2018

Director, Student Federation Board, Universidad de Chile · 2014

Director, Engineering Student Council Board, Universidad de Chile · 2013

Press & Media

Podcasts & Video

Europa Clipper: Explorando la Luna de Júpiter, Cráneo: Ciencia para niños curiosos · Nov 2024

Un viaje poético a la luna Europa, NASA en español · Oct 2024

Lanzamiento de Europa Clipper (live), NASA en Español · Oct 2024

¿Podría la luna Europa sustentar la vida? (live), NASA en Español · Oct 2024

Viaje al Centro de Júpiter & A Journey to Jupiter’s Core, Science Journeys, Caltech · 2022

Ciencia con el Telescopio James Webb; Enanas Marrones y Mini Agujeros Negros, Astronomía en el Bar, Caltech · 2021

Selected Print & Online

Io’s magma ocean may not exist after all, Astronomy; No Magma Ocean for Io, Sky & Telescope; Jupiter’s Moon Io Doesn’t Have An Ocean Of Lava, Forbes · Dec 2024

#SoCaltech: Benjamin Idini, Caltech Magazine · Aug 2022

The tides of Jupiter can help scientists understand the history of the Solar System, Inverse · May 2021

Unprecedented movement detected on California earthquake fault, LA Times; The Guardian · Oct 2019

Professional Organizations

American Astronomical Society (AAS) · Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) · American Geophysical Union (AGU)