{{Short description|Spanish astronomer}} '''Noemí Pinilla-Alonso''' (born in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain) is a Spanish planetary scientist and researcher at the University of Oviedo, where she is a member of the Institute for Space Sciences and Technology in Asturias (ICTEA).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inicio - Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnologías Espaciales de Asturias - portalesweb.uniovi.es |url=https://ictea.uniovi.es/ |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnologías Espaciales de Asturias |language=en-US}}</ref> Her research focuses on the origin and evolution of the Solar System through the study of small bodies using ground- and space-based telescopes. She is the principal investigator of the James Webb Space Telescope program DiSCo-TNOs, dedicated to exploring the surface composition of trans-Neptunian objects.
==Early career== From 2000 to 2008, she worked at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (La Palma). Initially, she was responsible for the calibration of an automated system measuring infrared sky quality based on GPS technology.<ref name="Pin2020"/>
== Florida Space Institute, University of Central Florida == In 2015, after a research stay at the Observatório do Valongo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Pinilla-Alonso joined the Florida Space Institute (FSI) as a visiting researcher.<ref name="UCF">{{Cite web |title=UCF Physics Department |url=https://sciences.ucf.edu/physics/person/noemi-pinilla-alonso |website=Physics Department UCF, USA |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2016, she was appointed Associate Research Scientist in Planetary Sciences and later became Research Professor, a position she combined with an appointment as Associate Scientist in the Department of Physics at the University of Central Florida (UCF)<ref name="UCF"/>
When UCF assumed management of the Arecibo Observatory in 2017, Pinilla-Alonso joined its leadership team. From 2017 until the observatory’s closure in 2023, she served as Deputy Principal Scientist, promoting integration between Arecibo’s research community and UCF’s academic environment, and advocating for the observatory within the radio astronomy, planetary science, and atmospheric science communities.<ref name="AO‑Deputy">{{Cite web |title=Arecibo Observatory to Offer New Opportunities for Visiting Scientists |url=https://www.ucf.edu/news/arecibo-observatory-to-offer-new-opportunities-for-visiting-scientists/ |website=ucf.edu |language=en-US}}</ref> Between December 2018 and April 2021, she also held the position of Chief Scientist, facilitating the redefinition of Arecibo’s scientific program.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}
== Research on the origin and evolution of the solar system == Pinilla-Alonso’s work seeks to understand the formation and evolution of the Solar System by combining spectroscopic observations and light-scattering models to study complex icy and rocky surfaces. Her research includes the surface characterization of dwarf planets such as Eris, Makemake, and particularly Haumea and its collisional family. She is co-leader of the PRIMASS survey,<ref name="PRIMASSprop"/><ref name="PRIMASSdps"/> which provides visible and near-infrared spectra for over 600 primitive asteroids shared with the community as PRIMASS-Library.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PRIMASS-L Spectra {{!}} PDS SBN Asteroid/Dust Subnode |url=https://sbn.psi.edu/pds/resource/primassl.html |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=sbn.psi.edu |language=en}}</ref> She has also contributed to support major space missions such as NASA’s New Horizons, OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and JAXA’s Hayabusa2 by coordinating observations campaigns to provide detailed characterization of their targets.<ref name="LucyDPS2018"/><ref name="PRIMASSprop"/><ref name="NHKEMprop"/>
== Surface Composition of trans-neptunian objects ==
Since 2021, Pinilla-Alonso has led DiSCo (Discovering the Composition of Trans-Neptunian Objects), one of the James Webb Space Telescope’s early large programs.<ref name="DiSCoProp"/> With nearly 100 hours of observing time, DiSCo collects infrared spectra (0.8–5.2 μm) of about 60 Centaurs and trans-Neptunian objects, unveiling for the first time the intricate mixture of ices and dust that defines the outer Solar System. The program also established a compositional taxonomy for trans-Neptunian objects, linking their spectral slopes and absorption features to differences in surface composition and evolutionary history.<ref name="Pinilla2025"/> Beyond characterizing TNO surfaces, DiSCo provides a window into the primordial building blocks of icy worlds. It links the chemical and physical processes shaping our Solar System to those operating in exoplanetary systems, offering insights into planetary formation and evolution on a universal scale.<ref name="DiSCo"/>
== Universidad de Oviedo ==
In 2025, Noemí Pinilla-Alonso returned to the University of Oviedo after receiving an ATRAE fellowship.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Salas |first=Mónica G. |date=2024-11-02 |title=Noemí Pinilla ya hace ciencia de primer nivel en Asturias: 'Quiero dar clases y tener contacto con los estudiantes' |url=https://www.lne.es/asturias/2024/11/02/noemi-pinilla-ciencia-primer-nivel-111153777.html |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=La Nueva España |language=es}}</ref>
== Awards and recognition == * 2025 – El Comercio Science Award<ref>{{Cite web |last=Villa |first=Octavio |date=2025-10-08 |title=Noemí Pinilla: «Dar respuesta a preguntas universales precisa todos los saberes de grandes equipos» |url=https://www.elcomercio.es/sociedad/premios-comercio-gijon-2025-ciencia-noemi-pinilla-respuesta-preguntas-universales-saberes-equipos-20251008112752-nt.html |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=El Comercio: Diario de Asturias |language=es}}</ref> * 2025 – Invited keynote speaker at the Solemn Ceremony of Saint Thomas Aquino, University of Oviedo<ref>{{Cite web |last=Á |first=P. |date=2025-01-27 |title=Noemí Pinilla Alonso, investigadora: 'Vamos a liderar el nuevo conocimiento del Sistema Solar' |url=https://www.lne.es/asturias/2025/01/27/noemi-pinilla-alonso-investigadora-liderar-113763322.html |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=La Nueva España |language=es}}</ref> * 2022 – Major Deming Orange County Distinguished Resident Award for exemplifying collaboration, innovation, and inclusion<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ornage County Distinguished Resident Award: Noemi Pinilla-Alonso, Ph.D. |url=https://newsroom.ocfl.net/media-gallery/photo-gallery/2022/03/womens-history-month-noemi-pinilla-alonso-ph-d/ |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=OCFL Newsroom |language=en-US}}</ref> * 2021 – LIFE–UCF Women Faculty Recognition Award for impact on students and campus community<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Jenna |date=2021-03-04 |title=2021 Women's History Month Honorees |url=https://www.ucf.edu/news/2021-womens-history-month-honorees/ |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=University of Central Florida News {{!}} UCF Today |language=en-us}}</ref> * 2019 – UCF Luminary Award for fostering major research collaborations at FSI, CLASS, and Arecibo Observatory<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kotala |first=Zenaida |date=2019-10-24 |title=9 Luminary Award Recipients Honored for Making an Impact on the World |url=https://www.ucf.edu/news/nine-luminary-award-recipients-honored-for-making-an-impact-on-the-world/ |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=University of Central Florida News {{!}} UCF Today |language=en-us}}</ref> * 2018 – Asturian of the Month (La Nueva España, May 2018)<ref>{{Cite web |last=P |first=T. |date=2019-01-09 |title=Noemí Pinilla-Alonso: 'Desde España se puede llegar muy lejos en el mundo de la ciencia' |url=https://www.lne.es/sociedad/2019/01/09/noemi-pinilla-alonso-espana-llegar-18560282.html |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=La Nueva España |language=es}}</ref> * 2017 – Asteroid 10689 pinillaalonso, named in her honor by the International Astronomical Union<ref>https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=pinillaalonso</ref>
== References == <references> <ref name="Pin2020">{{cite conference |author1=Pinilla-Alonso, N. |author2=Kidger, M. |author3=Espinosa, J. |title=Operation of the IAC water vapour monitors in observatory conditions |journal=Astronomical Site Evaluation in the Visible and Radio Range |event=Astronomical Site Evaluation in the Visible and Radio Range |editor= |year=2002 |volume=266 |publisher=Astronomical Society of the Pacific |pages=216–220 |bibcode=2002ASPC..266..216P |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002ASPC..266..216P/abstract}}</ref> <ref name="DiSCoProp">{{Cite journal | title = DiSCo-TNOs: Discovering the Surface Composition of Trans-Neptunian Objects | author1 = Pinilla-Alonso, N.|author2=Bannister, M.|author3=Brunetto, R.|author4=Cruikshank, D. P.|author5=De Pra, M. N.|author6=Emery, J. P.|author7=Guilbert-Lepoutre, A.|author8=Holler, B. J.|author9=Lorenzi, V.|author10=Muller, T.|author11=Peixinho, N.|author12=Pendleton, Y. J.|author13=Stansberry, J. A.|author14=de Souza Feliciano, A. C. | year = 2021 | url = https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021jwst.prop.2418P/abstract | journal = JWST Proposal 2418 | page = 2418 | publisher = NASA / STScI | bibcode = 2021jwst.prop.2418P }}</ref> <ref name="Pinilla2025">{{Cite journal | title = A JWST/DiSCo-TNOs portrait of the primordial Solar System | author1 = Pinilla-Alonso, N.|author2=Brunetto, R.|author3=De Prá, M. N.|author4=Holler, B. J.|author5=Hénault, E.|author6=Feliciano, A. C. de S.|author7=Lorenzi, V.|author8=Pendleton, Y. J.|author9=Cruikshank, D. P.|author10=Müller, T. G.|author11=Stansberry, J. A.|author12=Emery, J. P.|author13=Schambeau, C. A.|author14=Licandro, J.|author15=Harvison, B.|author16=McClure, L.|author17=Guilbert-Lepoutre, A.|author18=Peixinho, N.|author19=Bannister, M. T.|author20=Wong, I. | year = 2025 | url = https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025NatAs...9..230P/abstract | journal = Nature Astronomy | volume = 9 | pages = 230–244 | doi = 10.1038/s41550-024-02433-2 | bibcode = 2025NatAs...9..230P }}</ref> <ref name="DiSCo">{{Cite conference | author1 = Pinilla-Alonso, N.|author2=Brunetto, R.|author3=Stansberry, J.|author4=Holler, B.|author5=Hammel, H.|author6=Lunine, J. I.|author7=Hines, D. C.|author8=Milam, S. | title = JWST marks a new era in the exploration of ices and dust in our Solar System and beyond | event = EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2025 | year = 2025 | publisher = Copernicus Meetings | url = https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2025/EPSC-DPS2025-16.html | doi = 10.5194/epsc-dps2025-1796 | doi-access = free }}</ref> <ref name="PRIMASSprop">{{cite report | title = PRIMitive Asteroids Spectroscopic Survey (PRIMASS): the past as a puzzle | publisher = National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) | year = 2017 | url = | bibcode = 2017nasa.prop.0097P | type = Project Grant Report | id = NASA Proposal ID: 17-PDART17_2-0097; Award ID: 80NSSC18K0530 }}</ref>
<ref name="PRIMASSdps">{{cite conference | last1 = Pinilla-Alonso | first1 = Noemí | last2 = Nascimento De Pra | first2 = Mario | last3 = de León | first3 = Julia | last4 = Lorenzi | first4 = Vania | last5 = Morate | first5 = David | last6 = Harvison | first6 = Brittany | last7 = Arredondo | first7 = Anicia | last8 = Licandro | first8 = Javier | last9 = Campins | first9 = Humberto | last10 = Sarid | first10 = Gal | title = The PRIMitive Asteroids Spectroscopic Survey Library, PRIMASS-L, is ready for you to dive in!!! | conference = AAS Division of Planetary Sciences Meeting #54 | publisher = Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society | volume = 54 | issue = 8 | id = 504.09 | year = 2022 | url = https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022DPS....5450409P/abstract | bibcode = 2022DPS....5450409P }}</ref>
<ref name="LucyDPS2018">{{cite conference | last1 = Pinilla-Alonso | first1 = Noemí | last2 = Popescu | first2 = Marcel | last3 = Fernández-Valenzuela | first3 = Estela | last4 = Licandro | first4 = Javier | last5 = Duffard | first5 = René | last6 = Castro | first6 = Joel | last7 = Murillo | first7 = Raúl M. | last8 = Grundy | first8 = William | last9 = Reyes-Ruiz | first9 = Mauricio | last10 = Silva | first10 = José | title = The hypnotic dance of Patroclus and Menoetius: Ground-based observations of their 2017-2018 mutual event season | conference = AAS Division of Planetary Sciences Meeting #50 | publisher = Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society | volume = 50 | id = 200.02 | year = 2018 | url = https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018DPS....5020002P/abstract | bibcode = 2018DPS....5020002P }}</ref> <ref name="NHKEMprop">{{cite report | title = Mission Support – New Horizons Kuiper Extended Mission | author1 = Pinilla‑Alonso, Noemí | author2 = Emery, Joshua | author3 = Cruikshank, Dale P. | publisher = Spitzer Space Telescope | year = 2016 | url = https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016sptz.prop13152P/abstract | bibcode = 2016sptz.prop13152P | type = Project Proposal | id = Spitzer Proposal ID: 13152 }}</ref> </references>
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinilla-Alonso, Noemi}} Category:Living people Category:Spanish women scientists Category:Planetary scientists Category:Academic staff of the University of Oviedo Category:Year of birth missing (living people)