Prof. Briony Horgan
Professor of Planetary Science
CV (updated June 2024) -- briony@purdue.edu
Briony received her BS in Physics from Oregon State University in 2005 and her PhD in Astronomy and Space Sciences from Cornell University in 2010, then was an Exploration Postdoctoral Fellow at Arizona State University until joining EAPS in 2014. Her research program uses data from NASA satellites and rovers, along with lab and field work back on Earth, to understand the surface processes that have shaped Mars and the Moon. She is particularly interested in using mineralogy to investigate weathering and past surface environments on Mars, as well as volcanic, sedimentary, and impact processes on both planets. Briony is a Co-I on the Mastcam-Z camera team and a Long-Term Planner on NASA’s Mars 2020 mission (the Perseverance rover), the first step toward Mars Sample Return. Briony loves getting to conduct field work all over the world, and enjoys outdoor activities outside of work too, including backpacking, camping, kayaking, and scuba diving.
Postdocs
Adrian Broz
Adrian is a postdoctoral research in Briony Horgan’s Planetary Surface Processes Lab at Purdue University and a postdoctoral researcher on the Mastcam-Z team on Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. He earned a BS and MS from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Oregon. He is interested in the alteration history and biosignature preservation potential of rocks at Jezero Crater. Some of his past work includes stable isotope paleoclimatology, mineralogy & diagenesis of Mars-analog paleosols from Oregon; Ediacaran paleontology and alteration history of rocks at the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary; weathering on land leading up to Neoproterozoic snowball Earth; and organic preservation in Archean (3.0-3.7 Ga) nonmarine rocks from Australia and Greenland. Adrian’s work with Mastcam-Z seeks to understand the composition, geological history, and biosignature preservation potential of rocks at Jezero Crater, and to link observations from Mastcam-Z with observations from orbital satellites.
Lingqi Zeng
Lingqi earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Chengdu University of Technology in 2014 and 2017, respectively. During his studies, he developed a keen interest in Cenozoic lacustrine deposits of the Tibetan Plateau. Pursuing his curiosity for lacustrine processes, he carried out research on the paleolake deposits of the Miocene Ries impact structure and received his Ph.D. in 2022 from Georg-August-Universität Göttingen in Germany. As a post-doc at Purdue University, he turned his focus from Earth to Mars and aims to understand hydrothermal and lacustrine processes on the ancient Martian surface. Lingqi enjoys cooking, Via Ferrata, mountaineering and biking.PhD Students
Hunter Vannier
Hunter received his BA from Wesleyan University in 2020, majoring in Astronomy and minoring in Planetary Science. His undergraduate research centered on reconstructing the interstellar environment our solar system has most recently traversed. Currently, his research focuses on using remote sensing to characterize volcanic features on the Moon. He analyzes visible to near-infrared spectra to constrain the composition and formation mechanism of diverse volcanic features on the lunar surface, including irregular mare patches and explosive pyroclastic deposits. Hunter is a recipient of the Indiana Space Grant Fellowship.
Athanasios Klidaras
Athanasios received his BSc and MSci in Geology from Imperial College London (UK) in 2022. His MSci dissertation involved mapping volcanism on Venus using Synthetic Aperture Radar. Athanasios currently works with Prof Briony Horgan as part of a project studying the stratigraphy and mineralogy of Noachian-aged clay deposits in order to shed light on the landscape and climate of ancient Mars. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking and listening to history podcasts.
Margaret Deahn
Margaret completed her MA in earth and planetary sciences at Wesleyan University in 2023 where she mapped the target descent site for NASA’s upcoming DAVINCI probe in Alpha Regio, Venus, and her BA in geological sciences in 2021 at the State University of New York College at Geneseo. She has interned at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory three times, characterizing landing sites for various Mars missions, and is currently working as a student collaborator for the Mastcam-Z instrument on NASA’s Mars 2020 rover science team. Her research explores impact crater rims as a window into the ancient crust of Mars. She is currently making a photogeologic map of the Jezero crater rim, and her future research will include investigating the ancient hydrothermal systems and deep uplifted crust that may be preserved in the rims of nearby Martian craters. Margaret is a recipient of the Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship.
Alums: MS
Kirtee Ramo - MS in Geodata Science, 2023
Kirtee received her BS in Geology from Bryn Mawr in 2022 and received her Geodata Professional MS degree from EAPS in 2023. Her MS thesis used stastical techniques to analyze reflectance spectral data from laboratory, rover, and orbital remote sensing. She is currently a PhD student at Stony Brook University.
Noel Scudder - MS in Planetary Science, 2023
Noel received his BS in Physics and Astronomy/Planetary Sciences from Stony Brook University in 2015 and his MS from EAPS in 2023. His research involved understanding the geologic and climate history of Mars through investigation of weathering processes in cold Mars analog environments. His thesis work combined remote sensing data analysis, laboratory work, and fieldwork at the Three Sisters volcanic complex in Oregon. Noel was a science team collaborator on the Mars 2020 rover mission, a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellow, and a recipient of the Indiana Space Grant Fellowship.Alums: PhD
Amanda Rudolph - PhD in Planetary Science, 2023
Amanda earned her BS in Geology from Western Washington University in 2018 and her PhD from EAPS in 2023. Thanks to all of the help and support she received during her undergraduate career both at WWU, at an internship at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, and from many others, she was able to make the journey out to begin her graduate career in Indiana! Her thesis research focused on studying sedimentary and diagenetic processes in Gale Crater, Mars, where the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover currently resides, using rover and orbital remote sensing data and analog field work. Amanda is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Indiana Space Grant fellowship, and Amelia Earhart Fellowship. She is currently a postdoc at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Brad Garczynski - PhD in Planetary Science, 2023
Brad received his BA in Earth Science modified with Biology from Dartmouth College in 2016 and his PhD from EAPS in 2023. After graduation, he taught a semester of high school geology in Zermatt, Switzerland and then returned to Dartmouth to work as a research assistant under Dr. Marisa Palucis, where he studied the timing of alluvial fan and delta features in the Gale Crater region. Brad is a member of the Mastcam-Z science team on the Mars 2020 mission, and his PhD research used Mastcam-Z data to understand surface coatings on rocks in Jezero crater. He also used terrestrial analogs to better understand the deposition and biosignature preservation potential in lacustrine carbonates similar to those encoutered by Perserverance in Jezero crater. Brad is a recipient of the Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research for his field work at Lake Salda, Turkey, in 2019. He is currently a postdoc at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA.
James Haber - PhD in Planetary Science, 2023
James earned his BA in Physics with minors in Astronomy and Mechanical Engineering in 2018 from Cornell University and his PhD from EAPS in 2023. He is interested spacecraft mission design and operations with the goal of finding habitable environments and signs of past and present life in our solar system. James’ PhD research focused on studying ancient aqueous processes in Gale Crater on Mars using data from the Curiosity rover, orbital remote sensing, and field work at analog sites on Earth. His past research includes studying the breakdown of rocks on the lunar surface at NASA JPL and analyzing trajectories for the Europa Clipper mission. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Prakhar Sinha - PhD in Planetary Science, 2022
Prakhar completed his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ramaiah Institute of Technology, India. He then went on to receive his Master’s in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue in 2018 where he was motivated to pursue Planetary Sciences. His PhD research focused on understanding the mineralogy and surface processes at the north polar region of Mars using visible and near-infrared spectroscopy from orbit. Prakhar was a fellow in the NASA Future Investigators in Earth, Space Science, and Technology program. In addition, he enjoys exploration and has been on multiple high-altitude Himalayan Expeditions and is also an advanced open water diver. Prakhar graduated with his PhD in 2022 and is currently a Postdoc at MIT.
Marie Henderson - PhD in Planetary Science, 2021
Marie received her BS in Solar, Earth, and Planetary Sciences from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2013. After graduation, Marie worked at Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, CA as a member of the Mars Curiosity Rover’s MAHLI camera team before returning to Purdue to earn a PhD in Planetary Science. Marie’s research focuses on volcanic deposits found on the Moon. She uses spectroscopy of glasses on the lunar surface as well as analog samples on Earth to understand the volcanic eruptions from which they formed. Marie is a science team collaborator on the Mars Science Laboratory mission, an NSF fellow, and recipient of the Indiana Space Grant Fellowship and the Amelia Earhart Fellowship. Outside of her research, Marie gives outreach talks to everyone from Kindergarten to senior citizens and trains for and has completed an Ironman triathlon. Marie graduated with her PhD in 2021 and is now a postdoc at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Sheridan Ackiss - PhD in Planetary Science, 2019
Sheridan received her BS in Applied Mathematics from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2012. After graduation, Sheridan worked at the Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland as a member of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) Science Team. Her research uses remote sensing data to study the mineralogy and morphology of possible subglacial volcanoes on Mars. This research is complimented by analog field studies in both Oregon, U.S.A. and Iceland. Sheridan graduated in May 2019 and is now aSenior Technical Consultant at Esri, after completing a postdoc at the University of Idaho and working as a Remote Sensing Specialist at Aerospace Corporation.Alums: Postdocs
Alicia Rutledge - Postdoc/Research Scientist 2016-2019
Alicia earned her BS in Aerospace Engineering and her MS in Forestry from Texas A&M University in 2004 and 2006. She earned her PhD in Geological Sciences from Arizona State University in 2015. Alicia’s research integrates remote sensing, field work, and lab work to better understand planetary surface processes and the role of climate in alteration processes. She is especially interested in using geochemistry and mineralogy to investigate cryosphere-bedrock interactions on Earth and Mars. Her work with Dr. Briony Horgan in EAPS focuses on investigating the composition and origin of weathering products at Mars analog field sites in the Cascades Range, Oregon, USA. Alicia is a team member on the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) aboard NASA’s Mars Odyssey. Alicia is now Research Faculty at Northern Arizona University.
Rebecca Smith - Postdoc 2016-2018
Rebecca Smith received their BS in Geology from UC Berkeley in 2010 andtheir PhD in Geology from Arizona State University in 2016. Rebecca’s research utilizes laboratory and remote sensing techniques as well as fieldwork to try to constrain chemical weathering environments on Mars. Their work with Prof. Briony Horgan at Purdue University focused on characterizing the composition of amorphous weathering products found in soils and sediments formed in a variety of terrestrial weathering environments, in order to understand the importance of amorphous phases found in Gale Crater on Mars as part of the Mars Science Laboratory science team. Becky moved from Purdue to a postdoc at Stony Brook University where they were a Participating Scientist on the Mars 2020 mission, before moving to their current position as an environmental consultant in New Mexico.