Cristina Morea Dalle Ore (born 1958)[1] is ahyperspectral imaging andremote sensing expert, originally from Italy. After many years as an astronomer andplanetary scientist, she has shifted her interests to Earth-based agricultural applications of remote sensing,[2] as Head of Remote Science and Geospatial Intelligence for Bayer Crop Science.[3] Her work in astronomy studied the chemical composition of objects in thefar reaches of the Solar System, with a special focus ontholins,[4] and included the discovery ofammonia onPluto, suggesting the possibility of liquid water there as well.[5]
Dalle Ore is originally fromTreviso; astronomy was a shared interest with her father, heart surgeon Mario Morea.[6][2] She earned alaurea in astronomy, the Italian equivalent of a master's degree, from theUniversity of Padua, in 1983.[7] Next, she began graduate studies withSandra Faber at theUniversity of California, Santa Cruz, but was pulled away toBoston by her new husband's job there. After spending nine years raising three children and studying spectroscopy atHarvard University, she returned to UC Santa Cruz to complete her Ph.D.[2] Her 1993 dissertation,A critical examination of stellar atmosphere theory for metal-poor K-giant stars, was supervised by Faber.[8]
Despite her early research focus on stars, a chance social connection with planetary scientistDale Cruikshank led her to a position studying the Solar System as a research scientist for theSETI Institute andNASA Ames Research Center.[2] She worked there beginning in 1996, with a stint as a lecturer at UC Santa Cruz from 2007 to 2008,[7] until taking her present position at Bayer Crop Science.[3]
Minor planets25945 Moreadalleore and151351 Dalleore are named for Dalle Ore.[1]
