Aleks Gawronska
Postdoctoral Researcher
Current Affiliations:
Catholic University of America
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CRESST II cooperative agreement
Emails:
personal: ajvgawronska@gmail.com
A Bit About Me
I am an igneous petrologist who leverages their understanding of basaltic rocks at the microscale to evaluate magmatic and volcanic processes operating at the macroscale across the Solar System.
I completed a PhD at Miami University in which I investigated samples returned through the Apollo missions to evaluate magmatic differentiation and emplacement processes on the Moon, and am currently a postdoctoral researcher working at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to evaluate how volcanism contributes to planetary volatile budgets. Throughout my career I have additionally sought to employ my knowledge of sample characteristics to support future sampling activities performed by astronaut crew during the Artemis missions that will allow us to better understand the evolution of our closest planetary neighbor.
Bonus fun facts: I'm an immigrant - I was born in Krakow, Poland, and grew up partly in Gdansk, Poland before moving to the Chicago area when I was 10. I have two dogs I'm obsessed with, and a ton of plants that probably need watering as we speak. In my free time I like to rock climb (like all geology nerds), draw, and play video games 🐕🌱
Experience
June 2023 - Present
NASA Goddard and
Catholic University
August 2018 - May 2023
Miami University
August 2014 - May 2018
University of Notre Dame
Postdoctoral researcher: I am a science team member on the PITMS and MSolo instruments and use them to learn more about gaseous species that currently reside on the surface of the Moon. Through this, I hope to find evidence of volcanic species to learn more about how magmas deliver volatiles from depth to planetary surfaces.
Graduate assistant: I studied how magmas on the Moon evolved at depth to produce the lava flows that were ultimately emplaced on the surface and picked up by Apollo astronauts. Through this, I was able to learn more about how extraterrestrial igneous processes operate across the Solar System.
Undergraduate assistant: As an undergrad, I learned about lunar igneous petrology and studied how lavas cool on planetary surfaces to better understand how they were delivered from depth via magmatism.
