Anna Gülcher
Earth and planetary scientist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology
I am a computational Earth and planetary scientist interested in planetary evolution and (in)habitability. My research focuses on – but is not restricted to – the interior and tectonic processes that shape rocky planets such as Venus and Earth. I am very enthusiastic about several space missions dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of our neighbouring planet Venus. Currently, I am a scientific collaborator to NASA’s VERITAS mission.
I am further passionate about project and team management, science communication, teaching, and diversity. I have a track record of organisational skills and professional outreach experience. I previously served several roles in the Geodynamics Division of the European Geosciences Union and am currently on NASA’s Venus Exploration and Analysis Group Steering Committee. I am committed to foster a more open, diverse, and inclusive community for scientists.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4900 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, US
California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., South Mudd Rm 266, Pasadena, CA 91125, US
Find out more
Outreach articles/activities, science communication, and professional service roles
Academic / research experience
Postdoctoral researcher | Planetary Scientist (01.2023 – present)
Planetary Interiors and Geophysics, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
Principal Investigator on research project dedicated to unravelling the mysteries behind Venus’ tectonics and volcanism, awarded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Postdoctoral researcher in Geophysics (11.2022 – 12.2022)
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics group, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
PhD researcher in Geophysics | Planetary Sciences (10.2018 – 10.2022)
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics group, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
PhD dissertation: Computational modeling of Earth’s interior evolution through chemical and rheological heterogeneity in the lower mantle
MSc. in Geophysics (09.2016 – 08.2018)
Institute of Geophysics, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
MSc thesis: 3D computational modeling of the tectonic and magmatic processes that shape the so-called ‘corona’ structures on the surface of Venus.
BSc. in Earth Sciences (09.2013 – 07.2016)
Dept. of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
BSc thesis: Paleomagnetic fieldwork and laboratory experiments on lava rocks from Pico Island, The Azores, to deduce Earth’s ancient geomagnetic field.
Highlights
Awards and grants
$300.000 Fellowship grant
Fellowship grant awarded by the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University of Bern, Switzerland in 2024 to be the Principal Investigator on a research project entitled “Venus as a natural laboratory for Earth-like (exo)planets” (Nov 2024-2026/27)
$140.000 Fellowship grant
Postdoc.Mobility grant awarded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in 2022 to be the Principal Investigator on a two-year long research project (Jan 2023-2025) at the California Institute of Technology and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (USA).
$2000 Grant by ETH Zürich for ‘Fix the Leaky Pipeline’ peer-mentoring group
Grant awarded for the Planetary Equity group within ETH Zurich‘s career-building program for women in science (2021-2022). Theme: ‘Self-development as a pathway to an equal scientific career’.
European Geoscience Union award
Award from the Geodynamics Division from the European Geoscience Union for an outstanding performance as a young scientist during the EGU General Assembly 2019 in Vienna, Austria.
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology award
Awarded for the best M.Sc. thesis research of the whole Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, in the graduation year 2018.
$36.000 Scholarship by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Full scholarship for two-year MSc degree in Geophysics at ETH Zürich, Switzerland (2016-2018), based on previous academic excellency.
$10.000 Research grant by Foundation “Stichting Molengraaff Fonds” (TU Delft)
Research fund awarded for my BSc thesis research project and related paleomagnetic field work on the Azores, Portugal.
