The University of Arizona Press

Michael R. Combi is the Freeman D. Miller Collegiate Research Professor Emeritus in the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan. He received his PhD in physics from the University of Toledo in 1979. Combi’'s accomplished research in planetary and cometary physics focused on the production, distribution, physics, and chemistry of tenuous planetary atmospheres, including those of comets, planetary satellites, and the exospheres of terrestrial planets. He was the first to apply Monte Carlo techniques to comet atmospheres, contributing to improved and physically accurate methods of interpreting ground-based and space-based remote and in situ observations. Combi’s professional activities include serving as an editor for Icarus, as a member of the Committee on Planetary and Lunar Exploration, and as a member of NASA’s Planetary Systems Science/Management Operations Working Group. His honors include Asteroid (17061) Mikecombi, named in honor of his contributions to the study of cometary atmospheres, and UM’s Distinguished Research Scientist Award.