GD
Geodynamics

Katherine Villavicencio

Katherine Villavicencio is a geologist and an astrophysicist who has worked as a geophysicist performing modelling, interpretation and field work. Currently, she is doing a PhD in planetary sciences where she is carrying out a research on the hyperspectral analysis of the surface of Ganymede linked to a geodynamic model of the melt migration within the outer ice shell. Katherine is part of the GD blog team as an editor.

Dirty Poppy and the Research Tournament of Arcane Mysteries.

and November 13, 2024
Representative Cup for the winner of the Research Tournament of Arcane Mysteries. Figure generated by PromeAI.
Representative Cup for the winner of the Research Tournament of Arcane Mysteries. Figure generated by PromeAI.

In this week’s post, Dr. Katherine Villavicencio (University G. d’Annunzio, Italy) looks into the flaws of the academic system that enables abusive supervisors to hold excessive power.  In the form of a wizardly tale, she sheds light on the negative experiences of students subjected to the oppressive control of this kind of supervisors. In an alternate universe, the magical world is governed by ac ...[Read More]

Ice Ice Baby! Modelling the thermal evolution within the ice shell of Ganymede, Jupiter’s moon.

and August 7, 2024
Ice Ice Baby! Modelling the thermal evolution within the ice shell of Ganymede, Jupiter’s moon.
Thermal convection within the outer ice shell of Ganymede. Credit: Katherine Villavicencio.

Ganymede, one of the Galilean moons of Jupiter and the largest in the Solar System, has caught the scientists’ attention due to its potential for hosting life. The JUICE mission, launched from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana on 14 April 2023, is on its way to orbit and conduct experiments on the Galilean moons (Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto), with  particular emphasis on characterizing G ...[Read More]

Summer of ‘23: Chronicles of a summer school on meteorite and comet impacts.

and March 27, 2024
Summer of ‘23: Chronicles of a summer school on meteorite and comet impacts.
Exploring geologic formations along the Nördlingen Ries impact Crater. Credit: Attendees of the school.

One of the best-researched and preserved impact craters on Earth is the Ries Crater (Germany). Hikers, bikers, school groups,  and geo-tourists from all over the world come here in search for the evidence of the cosmic catastrophe. In this week’s blog post, PhD student Katherine Villavicencio from University G. d’Annunzio (Italy) shares her experience when attending the Summer School “Impacts and ...[Read More]

Alice in Depressionland

and September 13, 2023
Alice in Depressionland
Figure generated using Bing Image Creator.

Not all is about internal evolution of Earth and geodynamic processes. It is also important to make the space for ourselves to separate academic responsibilities and personal interests, in a way that equilibrate our health and make the develop of the PhD thesis “easier”. As it was described in previous blogs (as here and here), mental health matters during the PhD pathway especially when the illus ...[Read More]