The University of Arizona Press

Dante S. Lauretta is a Regents Professor in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. He holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics and a B.A. in East Asian Studies from the University of Arizona. He completed his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. His research interests include the formation and evolution of the Solar System and the origin of life, with an emphasis on laboratory studies of meteorites and returned extraterrestrial samples, as well as spacecraft exploration of asteroids and comets. Lauretta is Principal Investigator for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission. He is also a Co-Investigator on JAXA’s Hayabusa2 asteroid sample return mission and ESA’s Hera mission to asteroid Didymos. His research uses astronomical observations, spacecraft-based remote sensing, and laboratory measurements of extraterrestrial materials.

Lauretta received the University of Arizona Galileo Circle Dean's Award in 2020. He was elected a Fellow of the Meteoritical Society in 2014. He was awarded the NASA Silver Achievement Medal in 2017 for his role on the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Astronomy team. In 2017 he was also inducted into Boys and Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame.