Graduate Students

Graduate Students


Jacob Widmer

Jake Widmer joined the GALE lab in 2021 and is working towards a PhD in Geology. His work focuses on understanding present-day changes on the martian surface driven by aeolian and seasonal processes. This work is primarily based on remote sensing and utilizes a variety of datasets from Martian rovers and orbiters. 

Prior to joining the GALE lab, Jake completed his B.S. in Geology from the University of Maryland in 2019. His research experience began in 2017 and developed through a series of internships with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Smithsonian’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies (CEPS) to investigate surface processes at Mars and Europa. 

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Alana Archbold

Alana Archbold is a PhD student working toward a degree in Geology with an emphasis on Earth surface processes and aeolian dune preservation. Her research focuses on the architectures internal to dune deposits, how we can extrapolate 3D information through the rock outcrop, and studying the migration of sand dunes by combining computational modeling and satellite imagery. Alana is an experienced field geologist working to understand Jurassic sandstones in Nevada, Utah, and more. Alana graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a BS in Geology with honors before joining the GALE Lab to specialize in sedimentary geology.


Imani Lawrence

Imani Lawrence is pursuing her PhD in Planetary Science. She earned her B.S. in Planetary Science from Purdue University, where she researched the South Polar Layered Deposits of Mars, specifically focusing on the liquid water hypothesis and impact crater counts on ice mounds. Her work involved analyzing topographic data to investigate potential subsurface liquid water and identifying impact craters using high-resolution imagery.

Now at Professor Day’s GALE lab, her research focuses on aeolian features in Mars’ north polar region, specifically examining whether the dunes contribute to the sublimation of underlying ice, leading to the formation of shallow pits. She is excited to expand her research to other aeolian processes on Mars in the future.

Sori, M.M., I.T. Lawrence, K. Izquierdo, and D.E. Granger (2023), Implications of MOLA topography on the presence of liquid water under the south polar cap of Mars, Icarus

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2024.116083


BreeAnn Getman

Annie studies Planetary Science, delving into the mysteries of other worlds under the advisement of Dr. Mackenzie Day at the Gale Lab. Rocking a Geology degree from UCLA, Annie uses machine learning to study the dune processes of Titan and Venus, pushing the boundaries of theoretical geology by hallucinating images that bring the unseen landscapes of those distant worlds to life. She is exploring the microbiology of dune fields of Death Valley as Martian analogs that may have very interesting astrobiological implications.


Sarah Preston

Sarah Preston is a PhD student in Geology who studies eolian sedimentology and geomorphology on Earth and Mars. Her research focuses primarily on terrestrial analogues to Martian eolian features and sediment transport. Prior to joining the GALE lab in fall 2023, she graduated from Rice University in spring 2023 with a BS in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and a minor in Environmental Studies. While at Rice, she worked with Dr. Kirsten Siebach to study the grain size of the Stimson sandstone, an ancient lithified dune field in Gale crater, Mars, with an eye to sediment provenance and paleoatmospheric conditions.

When not thinking about sand, Sarah enjoys bouldering, science fiction, and arts and crafts.

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