Speaker profile

Dr Ben Rider-Stokes photo
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Dr Ben Rider-Stokes

PhD

Available for booking

Location

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England

Travel distance

200 miles travel distance

Role

Research Astronomer

Summary

I am an active researcher at the Open University investigating the mineralogical surfaces of asteroids and planets through the analysis of meteorites.

Full biography

My recent publications (2025) include searching for the origin of specific meteorite groups, entitled ‘Remnants of a lost Planetesimal: Searching for the Angrite parent body’ in Icarus: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2024.116429. My most recent publication tests a major gap in planetary science knowledge, known as the ‘Missing Mantle Problem’ with the manuscript entitled ‘The mystery of the missing mantle problem and insights from spectroscopy’ in Icarus: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116506.

I am an enthusiastic researcher, who has been awarded based on presentations (Wiley Award; 2021) and has been invited to both public societies and international conferences. I am keen to broaden my outreach activities and presentations, along with meteorite handling.

Other major publications and news coverage have been surrounding constraining the formation of Jupiter through meteorites. Conversation articles accumulating 60,000 reads.

Affiliations

  • The Open University
  • Lectures

    Inferring the Mineralogy of Asteroids Through Meteorite Spectroscopy

    Disseminating my current research on meteorite:asteroid spectroscopy.

    Publications

    Impact mixing among rocky planetesimals in the early Solar System from angrite oxygen isotopes

    Discerning the formation timing of Jupiter through the investigation of meteorites.

    The impact history and prolonged magmatism of the angrite parent body

    Inferring the timing of planetary formation and planetary evolution through the investigation of meteorites.

    Accessory mineral microstructure and chronology reveals no evidence for late heavy bombardment on the asteroid 4-Vesta

    Testing major hypothesis in planetary science 'The Late Heavy Bombardment' through the investigation of meteorites.

    Evidence against water delivery by impacts within 10 million years of planetesimal formation

    Evaluating the origin of water in the inner Solar System through the investigation of ancient meteorites.

    A reappraisal of the petrogenesis of Apollo 17 lunar dunites 72415-72417: Relics of the deep lunar mantle?

    Discovering the mantle of the Moon, through the investigation of material returned from the Moon during Apollo 17.

    Remnants of a lost Planetesimal: Searching for the Angrite parent body

    Searching for the origin of meteorite groups through spectroscopy.

    The mystery of the missing mantle problem and insights from spectroscopy

    Testing a major gap in planetary science, searching for the lost mantles of planetary bodies through the investigation of meteorites.

    Connect with Dr Ben Rider-Stokes

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