- W5a, Brunel Labs, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
- +44 1752 586125
- natasha.stephen@plymouth.ac.uk
Profiles
Dr Natasha Stephen
Director of Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre (PEMC)
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Natasha Stephen is Director of Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre (PEMC), a flagship £5 million analytical facility in the heart of the University of Plymouth's main city centre campus, housing SEMs, TEM & FIB-SEM, along with full specimen-preparation and post-processing facilities. She is also Project Director for the Plymouth Materials Characterisation Project within PEMC; a £1.7 million EU-funded research project that links academics with industry within the South-West of England.
Natasha is also a lecturer in the Faculty of Science & Engineering, within which she teaches on several undergraduate and graduate courses, in addition to supervision of MGeol, ResM and PhD students. Her research focuses on the use of non-destructive analytical techniques to investigate meteorites; rocks that originate on the surface of other extra-terrestrial bodies, including the Moon, Mars and asteroids, and linking these up to spacecraft data (i.e. rovers and satellites). Natasha is also working with colleagues at ESA and the Australian Government on 'in-situ resource utilisation' (ISRU) for space exploration, and the suitability of astro-materials and synthetic analogues for 3D printing extra-terrestrial habitats for humans on the Moon, and beyond...
Qualifications
Post-Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP): Plymouth University (2015)
PhD in Planetary Geology: Imperial College London & Natural History Museum (2015)
MSci Geosciences: Royal Holloway, University of London (2009)
Professional membership
Natasha is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, the Royal Microscopical Society and the Higher Education Academy. She is a member of the Meteoritical Society, Electron Microscopy UK, and the UK Planetary Forum.
Roles on external bodies
Natasha is a committee member on the following external bodies;
- Electron Microscopy Section, Royal Microscopical Society RMS EM Section Website
- Diversity in Astronomy & Geophysics, Royal Astronomical Society RAS Website - Diversity
- Electron Microscopy United Kingdom EM-UK Website
Key publications
2018 'Mineralogical constraints on the thermal history of martian regolith breccia Northwest Africa 8114' Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 246, 267-298 , DOI Open access
2020 'Barriers to fieldwork in undergraduate geoscience degrees' Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 1, (2) 77-78 , DOI Open access
Teaching interests
General Teaching Responsibilities:
- GEOL 1001 - The Dynamic Earth
- Joint with PGG 1001 - Physical Geography & Geology Interactions
- GEOL 2003 - Geospatial Techinques
- GEOL 2007 - Landscape Evolution
- GEOL 3007 - Igneous & Volcanic Processes
- GEOL 3008 - Advanced Geological Fieldwork (Almeria, Spain)
- GEOL 3009 - Earth Science Professional Case Studies
- CHM 3006 - Advanced Physical & Analytical Chemistry
- GEOL 5001 - Geoscience Frontiers: Research & Communication
- GEOL 5003 - Advanced Analytical Skills
- GEOL 5004 - MGeol Research Project
Research interests
Natasha's research focuses on the use of meteorites, rocks naturally delivered to Earth from Mars, the Moon and asteroids, to study the geology of extra-terrestrial bodies throughout the Solar System and links these up to the space missions studying these bodies from afar. These astromaterials are a finite resource; scientists can never be quite sure when the next meteorite will strike therefore it is important that research using meteoritic samples preserves them for future study. As such, Natasha employs a range of non-destructive analytical techniques within the University’s Electron Microscopy Centre on campus to look inside the rocks using X-rays to determine their composition and crystal structure, as well as infra-red spectroscopy to help link these observations to satellite and rover missions throughout the Solar System.
Whilst the search for life on Mars is one of the key driving forces behind Martian rover exploration (e.g. Curiosity, Mars Science Laboratory), Natasha’s research instead focuses on the geological evolution of Mars, alongside other volcanic regions in the Solar System, in order to determine their histories and relevance to Earth’s future.
Research degrees awarded to supervised students
- Jennifer Mitchell: Monomict Eucrites: a comparative petrology from scanning electron microscopy
- Andrew Whyte: The analysis of morphology & geochemistry of LL Chondrites, and their comparison to Asteroid Itokawa
- Philip Hallam: Remote investigations of Mars; analysis of recently imaged craters
- James Roberts: GIS analysis of Mars 2020 candidate landing sites using openly available data
- Catherine Woolford: Using meteorites as a ground-truth for geological activity on Vesta; a spectroscopic study
- Luke Silezin: Geochemical characterisation of basaltic volcanism in the Solar System
- Jake Graves: Investigating the volcanic history of Mars; can the Shergottite meteorites all originate from just one impact crater?
- Sean Batter: Will the new Mars rovers (Mars 2020 & ExoMars) help determine potential source regions for the Martian meteorites
- Lorelei Robertson: Mineralogic™ Automated Mineralogy; developing a system for maximum resource recovery
- Callum Mullet-Nice: Comparing the nature of clasts in Martian meteorite NWA 11220 to NWA 7034. Implications for source regions on the Martian surface
- Megan Hammett: A petrological and geochemical Study of LL chondrites,and their comparison to asteroid 25143 Itokawa
- Rebecca Garnett: Classifying meteorite samples from the Nullarbor Plain and assessing their diversity
MChem Students:
- Kieran Tyrrell: Chemical homogeneity at the Mt Etna volcano; a geochemical approach to chronostratigraphic analysis
MRes Students:
- Matthew Norton (School of Marine & Biological Sciences); Are the effects of ocean acidification on shell growth and ultrastructure of Mytilus sp. affected by fluctuations in pH and elevation in temperature?
Grants & contracts
Research Grants:
- Infrared Investigations of Lunar & Martian Meteorites, ANSTO Australian Synchrotron
- Value of award: £104, 632
- Awarded October 2019
- Thermal Properties of Martian Meteorites & Planetary Analogue Materials, ANSTO Australian Synchrotron & European Space Agency (ESA)
- Value of award: £52,316
- Awarded October 2019
- Plymouth Materials Characterisation Project (PMCP), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
- Value of award: £1,714,295
- Awarded July 2017
Outreach & Education Grants:
- BioChemical Society; development of EM outreach activities to tackle KS4 & A-Level visits to the EM Centre
- Value of award: £1,000
- Awarded October 2016
- Royal Astronomical Society; development of a planetary science workshop as part of Girls into Geoscience at the University of Plymouth
- Value of award: £450
- Awarded July 2016
Key publications
2018 'Mineralogical constraints on the thermal history of martian regolith breccia Northwest Africa 8114' Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 246, 267-298 , DOI Open access
2020 'Barriers to fieldwork in undergraduate geoscience degrees' Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 1, (2) 77-78 , DOI Open access
Key publications are highlighted
Journals
Articles
2020 'A small S-MIF signal in Martian regolith pyrite: Implications for the atmosphere' Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Publisher Site , DOI Open access
2020 'Barriers to fieldwork in undergraduate geoscience degrees' Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 1, (2) 77-78 , DOI Open access
2018 'Mineralogical constraints on the thermal history of martian regolith breccia Northwest Africa 8114' Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 246, 267-298 , DOI Open access
2018 'Investigating the history of volatiles in the solar system using synchrotron infrared micro-spectroscopy' Infrared Physics and Technology 94, 244-249 , DOI Open access
2017 'The limitations of hibonite as a single-mineral oxybarometer for early solar system processes' Chemical Geology , DOI Open access
2015 'Constraints on the crystal-chemistry of Fe/Mg-rich smectitic clays on Mars and links to global alteration trends' Earth and Planetary Science Letters 427, 215-225 , DOI
Conference Papers
2016 'Spatially resolved mid-IR spectra from Meteorites; Linking composition, crystallographic Orientation & Spectra on the micro-scale' 79th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society Berlin, Germany 8-/-0/20168-/-0/2016Open access
2015 'CONSTRAINING PIGEONITE ON MARS; FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN RESOLVING ZONED PYROXENES WITHIN THE MARTIAN METEORITES'
2014 'MID-IR MAPPING OF MARTIAN METEORITES WITH 8 MICRON SPATIAL RESOLUTION' A381-A381
2012 'ADVANCES IN EBSD TECHNOLOGY: A POWERFUL METHOD FOR THE ANALYSIS OF IMPACTITES AND METEORITES' A308-A308
2012 'THE TISSINT METEORITE: A PRISTINE AND UNIQUE SAMPLE OF THE MARTIAN SUB-SURFACE?' A359-A359
2011 'EXTRACTING PYROXENE MINERAL SPECTRA FROM MARTIAN METEORITES' A223-A223
2010 'PREFERRED ORIENTATION RELATIONSHIPS OF OLIVINE AND PYROXENE IN THE SHERGOTTITE MARTIAN METERORITES' A196-A196
Other academic activities
Public Engagement & Outreach:
2018:
- 'Diversity in Space Careers' (DISC) 2018 panel member. Event organised by SpaceCareers.co.uk & UKSEDS, and hosted by the Royal Astronomical Society, London
- 'Microscopy; Advances, Innovation & Impact' invited speaker at The Royal Society, London
- Talk entitled Microscopy & Meteorites;from the nano to astronomical scale
- Microscopy; Advances, Innovation & Impact Website
- 'Meteorites Under the Microscope' 2 day workshop & public talk focusing on meteorites and how they are used scientifically to explore the Solar System
- ITV News, West Country, interviewed as an expert in space & planetary sciences, discussing the announcement of UK Government funding for horizontal & vertical space launches in Scotland and Cornwall
- 'Girls into Geoscience' workshop on Planetary Geology, introducing meteorite specimens in a classroom environment, hosted by the University of Plymouth
- 'Celebrating Diversity in Science; Hidden Figures' film screening as part of British Science Week 2018, sponsored by the Royal Astronomical Society
- 'International Women's Day 2018' invited speaker for celebration event at the Royal Astronomical Society, London
- Talk entitled Extra-terrestrial geology; a life without fieldwork?
- Women and the RAS Website
- BBC News, London Studies, interviewed as an expert in space & planetary sciences, discussing the announcement of new UK Government funding to upgrade Goonhilly Earth Station's largest dish
- TEDx Plymouth, speaker at 2018 TEDx event, hosted by the University of Plymouth
- Talk entitled Extra-terrestrial fieldwork; adventures of an Earth-bound astronaut
- TEDx Event Website
- TEDx Talk Recording (TED YouTube Channel)
- 'The Industrial Strategy - making it work for you' invited talk at the University of Plymouth, event engaging industry with University facilities, including Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre
2017:
- 'From Another Place', designer & director of a new exhibition showcasing meteorite prints generated using scanning electron microscopy, and supported by meteorite & planetary scientists from around the world, including NASA, the Vatican Observatory, the Smithsonian Institution & the Natural History Museum
- European Commission (EC), promotional video generated by the European Union to advertise the successful EU-funded projects across the UK to young adults throughout Europe
- BBC Breakfast, Goonhilly Earth Station, Cornwall; interviewed as an expert in Planetary Science, surrounding the UK Government announcement of a Space Policy and UK Space Ports
2016:
- Trowelblazers 'Raising Horizons' Exhibition, travelling exhibition (2016-2018) highlighting pioneering female role models within geology, palaeontology & archaeology and pairing them with present-day female counterparts
- Exhibition Website: http://raisinghorizons.co.uk/
- Featured in Nature: http://blogs.nature.com/aviewfromthebridge/2017/02/15/raising-horizons/
- Girls into Geoscience, Plymouth University
- BBC Radio Devon, expert interview discussing the recent discovery of water on Mars, March 2016
- Plymouth University Women in STEM day, invited speaker to discuss my career choices and being an inspirational woman in STEM
- British Science Week 2016: British Science Association & Plymouth University (invited talk; "Among the stars; the past, present and future of human space exploration" & schools Lab taster sessions )
- Sustainable Earth Institute (SEI) Featured Researcher
- One Giant Read: European Space Agency, UK Space Agency, Principia Mission & Plymouth University (charity event to celebrate science fact within science fiction)
2015:
- First Geologist of the Moon: Geological Society of London & Royal Astronomical Society (co-convener & scientific adviser for a re-imagining of the original Geological Society address from Dr Harrison 'Jack' Schmitt on his expedition to the Lunar surface as part of Apollo 17)
- Space, Planets & Meteorites: Diamond Light Source (Public open-house event at the Harwell Science & Innovation campus in Oxfordshire, UK seeing >2000 visitors over the course of the day)
- Science in its purest form: Diamond Light Source (Interviewed by request from Diamond Light Source for a promotional video celebrating the science conducted at Diamond Light Source,the UK Synchrotron)
- 50 years of Martian Exploration’, Plymouth Astronomical Society (Invited talk by local astronomical society to celebrate 50 years of successful Martian exploration)
- Soapbox Science: Bristol (invited speaker at national event engaging the public by encouraging female scientists to stand up and talk about their science in Bristol’s Millennium Square)
- Children’s University: Plymouth (invited talk ‘Exploring the Solar System’ as part of a nationally recognised program encouraging school children to engage in extra-curricular activities in a variety of subjects)
- Stargazing Live: Diamond Light Source (invited expert speaker for stargazing event at Diamond Light Source, the UK Synchrotron aimed at engaging the public with space science)