Valerie Payré

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Iowa. I combine sedimentology and igneous petrology to understand and constrain magmatic processes on Mars and other planets. I am Co-I on SuperCam in the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover team.

I completed my undergraduate and master's studies in Geochemistry at Ecole Normale Supérieure Ulm and Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris in France. I obtained my Ph.D. at Université de Lorraine (France) with Dr. Cécile Fabre and Dr. Violaine Sautter with a dissertation entitled "Contribution of the ChemCam instrument to the understanding of the martian primitive crust and the weathering processes at the surface of Mars – Alkaline and metal trace element quantifications using LIBS (Li, Sr, Rb, Ba and Cu)".  I did  postdoctoral research in Mars magmatism with Dr. Kirsten Siebach and Dr. Rajdeep Dasgupta at Rice University, and with Dr. Mark Salvatore and Dr. Christopher Edwards at Northern Arizona University.

Get in touch!

Reach for the Star! STEM Festival Workshop

​Kiersten Hottendorf

kiersten-hottendorf @ uiowa.edu
Howdy! My name is Kiersten Hottendorf and I am a PhD student in the Planetary Exploration Group at UI. I have a Bachelor’s of Science in Earth Science from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and a Master’s of Science in Geology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. I am a big fan of music, hiking, and long conversations with my loved ones. My research is focused around planetary volcanology and comparative planetology. In the past I have conducted volcanology research on Earth in New Mexico and Idaho, but my research has spanned to the Moon, Mercury, Mars, and Venus. I specifically use physical volcanology, igneous petrology, numerical modeling, and remote sensing in order to learn more about volcanism throughout our solar system.

Protiti Roy

protiti-roy @ uiowa.edu
Hello,
My name is Protiti and I am a PhD student at the Planetary Exploration Group in the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Iowa.
I pursued my Bachelor’s degree with an Honours in Geology from University of Calcutta. I obtained my Master’s degree in Applied Geology from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.
I am currently studying the minerals on Mars using JMARS. I analyze CRISM data using ENVI with CAT and inspect HiRISE images. I am intrigued by how minerals can speak a lot about the igneous history followed by several sedimentary processes in the past. This helps me to infer how Mars was used to be in the past and even answer the water situation back then.
I love to spend my free time painting and sketching, reading story books and cooking!

Wes Brown

wes-brown @ uiowa.edu
I’m a PhD Student at the University of Iowa and a collaborator on NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover. I’m broadly interested in planetary geology, petrology, geochemistry, and astrobiology. My research is focused on using spectroscopy from SuperCam to further constrain the formation and evolution of Jezero Crater. I received my Associate of Science in Biology from San Antonio College and my Bachelor’s of Science in Geoscience from the University of Texas at Dallas. My undergraduate research focused on micrometeorites, impactites, and deep-ocean manganese nodules. During my time off you can find me hanging out with my two dogs, hiking, and reading history books.

Jake Draper

jake-draper @ uiowa.edu
Hello there! My name is Jake Draper, and I am a 1st year Geoscience PhD student in the Planetary Exploration Group at the University of Iowa. I received my Bachelor’s degree in astronomy with a minor in astrogeology from Northern Arizona University. Outside of school, I enjoy hiking, board games, and following the Chicago Cubs. My research will explore the past of the Eridania Basin in the Southern Highlands of Mars through the utilization of remote sensing. I will be looking into the geomorphology and mineralogy of the area to get a better insight to the past of Mars.

​Jae Dancer

Hello! My name is Jae Dancer, and I am a second-year student studying Geoscience here at the University of Iowa. I am passionate about planetary geology and enjoy research within the university's planetary exploration group. My current research project involves using CRISM-based instruments to acquire high-resolution mineral data through spectroscopy aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. My project hopes to characterize non-random mineral patterns within the layers and domes of the Eridania Basin region using JMARS software and, furthermore, gain greater insights into Martian geological formation processes. During my free time, I enjoy spending time with loved ones, nature activities, my two cats, and playing music! ​

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​Fiona Holmes

I’m Fiona Holmes and I am a physics and geoscience double major with a minor in astronomy. My current research is on analyzing the effects of grain size on visible and NIR signals in the feldspar regions on mars. In my spare time I like to read, paint, and practice the piano. Currently my main hobby is D&D and other tabletop games.

​Alexis Jansen

Hi! I am Alexis Jansen and I am a sophomore majoring in Geoscience and minoring in Computer Science at the University of Iowa. For research I am currently using ENVI to plot the spectra of CRISM data to learn about the mineralogy of lava flows of different ages on Mars. In my free time I love to read and spend time with my friends and family! ​

Former Members

​Sadie Richter ​

M.S. Student at the University of Vermont

Al Zukowski ​

Ph.D. Student at The University of Arizona

​Zach Vig ​

Ph.D. Student at the University of Maryland

Samantha Eberly

Undergraduate student in Geoscience, University of Iowa

Jessica Mettlin

Undergraduate in Geoscience, University of Iowa

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