From 2010 until his death in late 2015 he was an emeritus professor of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley.

[3][4] He then took a position as a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he performed spectroscopic studies of Solar System planets and smaller bodies.

These diverse topics are united in that Spinrad primarily relied upon measurements of spectral lines (spectroscopy) in his work.

In general, this allows astronomers to study objects as they were many millions or even billions of years ago.

[9] Spinrad spent much of his time at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory looking at the atmospheres of Solar System planets.