Biographical Sketch

Kirsten Siebach is an Assistant Professor in the Rice University Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences and calls herself a Martian Geologist. She researches “source-to-sink” sedimentary processes on Mars and early Earth to interpret the history of water and surface environments early in our solar system. She earned her PhD in geology at Caltech working on the data returned from Mars rovers, and is currently a member of the Science and Operations Team for the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity. Previously, she also worked on the science and engineering teams for the Phoenix Lander and the two Mars Exploration Rovers. She is actively engaged in promoting education and outreach related to Earth and Planetary science and regularly presents at schools and outreach events. Outside of professional interests, she loves travel and photography (on Earth as well as Mars), and enjoys swimming, hiking, and social dancing.