Kevin France

  • Associate Chair for Graduate Studies
Kevin France
Address
D219 / SPSC N214 / ARL Rocket Lab
Dr. France’s research focuses on exoplanets and their host stars, protoplanetary disks, and the development of instrumentation for ultraviolet astrophysics. He is a member of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) Community Science and Instrumentation Team (CSIT), the Principal Investigator of the ESCAPE Small Explorer mission concept, the CUTE small satellite mission, and numerous NASA-supported sounding rocket missions to study exoplanet atmospheres and flight-test critical path hardware for future UV/optical astrophysics missions. He is a regular guest observer with the Hubble Space Telescope and serves on numerous science and technical advisory groups for NASA. He was a member of the HST-COS instrument and science teams and the study PI for the LUVOIR ultraviolet spectrograph.
 

Recent publications:

  •  "HST-COS Transit Spectroscopy of KELT-20b: First Detection of Excess Far-ultraviolet Absorption From an Ultra-hot Jupiter", Behr, P., France, K., et al., arXiV 
  •   "A Semiempirical Estimate of Solar Extreme-ultraviolet Evolution from 10 Myr to 10 Gyr", France, K. et al., AJ, 2025, arXiV 
  •    "STAMP-1: A Concept to Advance Ultraviolet Science, Workforce, and Technology for the Habitable Worlds Observatory", France, K., et al. JATIS 2024, arXiV  
  • “The Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment Mission Overview”, France, K., et al., AJ, 2023, arXiv
  • “AU Microscopii in the Far-UV: Observations in Quiescence, during Flares, and Implications for AU Mic b and c”, Feinstein, A., France, K., et al., AJ, 2022, arXiv
  • “Extreme-ultraviolet Stellar Characterization for Atmospheric Physics and Evolution mission: motivation and overview”, France, K., et al., JATIS, 2022, arXiv
  • “The High-energy Radiation Environment around a 10 Gyr M Dwarf: Habitable at Last?”, France, K., et al., AJ, 2020, arXiv
  • “Estimating the Ultraviolet Emission of M Dwarfs with Exoplanets from Ca II and Hα”, Melbourne, K., Youngblood, A., France, K. et al., AJ, 2020, arXiv