Anna Gülcher
Postdoctoral fellow at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, US
I am a computational Earth and planetary scientist with a keen interest in the requirements for a habitable planet. My research focuses on – but is not restricted to – the interior and tectonic processes that shape rocky planets such as Venus and Earth. I strive to integrate observations from space, geophysics, geology, and geo/cosmo-chemistry into a physics-based framework using numerical modelling techniques. I am involved in several space missions dedicated to unravel the mysteries of our neighbouring planet Venus. This includes my roles as a scientific collaborator with NASA‘s VERITAS mission and the Radio Science and Gravity Experiment team for ESA/NASA‘s EnVision mission.
I am further passionate about project management, science communication, and diversity. I have a track record of organisational skills, as well as professional outreach experience. I previously served several roles in Geodynamics Division of the European Geosciences Union and will soon join NASA’s Venus Exploration Analysis Group Steering Committee. I am committed to foster a more open, diverse, and inclusive community for scientists.
- anna.gulcher@caltech.edu
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1200 E. California Blvd.
So. Mudd Building, Rm 266
Pasadena, CA 91125, US
- Geodynamics
- Numerical modelling
- Mantle convection & tectonics
- Rocky planets & habitability
- Project management
- Organisation and leadership
- Science communication & outreach
- Diversity and equity
Find out more
Academic / research experience
Planetary Interiors and Physics, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, US
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, US
Principal Investigator on research project dedicated to unravelling the mysteries behind Venus’ tectonics and volcanism, awarded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics group, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics group, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
PhD dissertation: Shaping Earth’s interior evolution through chemical and rheological heterogeneity in the lower mantle
Institute of Geophysics, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
MSc thesis: Plume-lithosphere interactions on Venus and the origin of coronae: inferences from 3D thermo-mechanical modelling
Dept. of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
BSc thesis: Obtaining a high resolution geomagnetic field intensity curve for the Azores region, the IZZI-Thellier approach
Highlights
- Wrote seven first-authored papers and contributed to several book chapters, scientific software, and science outreach
- Proposed widespread, recent mantle plume activity on Venus by integrating numerical model results with planetary mission data
- Developed key scenarios for the long-term evolution of Earth’s mantle, with major implications for our planet’s tectonic history
- Presented the first global-scale mantle convection models including a new strain-dependent rheology in the lower mantle
- Accommodating scientific discussions in the form of conference/ workshop organisation and session convening
- Actively striving enhance equity, diversity, and integrity in the scientific community and STEM
SNF Postdoctoral Fellowship
Swiss National Science Foundation-awarded grantfor a 2-year postdoc fellowship at CalTech/NASA JPL
EGU Outstanding Presentation Award
Outstanding Student Poster Presentation award at the EGU General Assembly 2019, Geodynamics division
ETH Zurich MSc. thesis research medaille
Award for the best Master’s thesis in the Department of Earth Sciences at ETH Zürich in 2018
PhD defence celebration
ETH Zurich Excellence Master Scholarship
Excellence Scholarship for my full MSc degree at the Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich
Molengraaff Research Fonds
TU Delft research fund for carrying out paleomagnetic fieldwork for my BSc thesis research in the Azores
MSc graduation