Bethany Ehlmann

Bethany Ehlmann is a professor of planetary science at Caltech and Associate Director of the Keck Institute for Space Studies. Her research focuses on the mineralogy and chemistry of planetary surfaces, remote sensing techniques and instruments, astrobiology, and science policy and outreach. She is PI of Lunar Trailblazer and part of the science teams of the Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance rovers, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Dawn mission during its Ceres phase, and the Earth-orbiting EMIT imaging spectrometer. Prof. Ehlmann servers as a member of the National Academies Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science and on the Planetary Society Board of Directors. Her National Geographic Kids book, Dr. E’s Super Stellar Solar System, teaches kids about solar system exploration. Prof. Ehlmann is a 2013 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, a former Mineralogical Society of America Distinguished Lecturer, and recipient of the American Geophysical Union’s Macelwane medal, the American Astronomical Society Planetary Science Division Urey prize, and COSPAR’s Zeldovich medal.