Daniel Sheikh, PhD candidate

My work investigates small rock fragments (i.e., lithic clasts) found in lunar meteorites using electron microscopy-based techniques to better understand the magmatic evolution of the Moon and the role of hypervelocity impacts on physically and chemically modifying materials from the lunar surface. My current focus is on studying rare and unusual lithic clasts from the Moon enriched in a mineral called spinel; determining how these spinel-rich lithic clasts formed is pivotal to constrain the nature of secondary magmatism on the Moon and the interaction between the lunar crust and early produced partial melts of the lunar mantle.

I currently have a publication out on the discovery of spinel-rich clasts (pink spinel anorthosite, or PSA) in lunar meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 15500: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maps.14298

My advisor (Dr. Alex Ruzicka) and I recently were awarded a NASA FINESST grant for the next 3 years to study spinel-rich clasts from lunar meteorites: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=1097016/solicitationId=%7B2AAB44BB-6DFB-C42E-315A-DC2D70683A9D%7D/viewSolicitationDocument=1/FINESST-24%20Planetary%20Division%20Selections%20October%2015,%202025%20(004).pdf

I am actively working on a second publication now, and plan to present some of these findings at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in March.

I plan to defend my PhD dissertation hopefully in June of 2027.