Previously, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at NASA Ames from 2004-2007. Dr. Fortney received his PhD in Planetary Sciences from the University of Arizona in 2004. He was born and raised near St. Paul, Minnesota, and received a BS degree in physics from Iowa State University in 1999. He is a planetary scientist who works to understand planets as a class of astrophysical objects. His current research is on modeling giant planet atmospheres, interiors, and thermal evolution. (Courtesy NASA)