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.

“You belong here”: reflections on gender inequality in Academia

and May 20, 2026
“You belong here”: reflections on gender inequality in Academia
Female support in STEM Earth Sciences. Image generated by IA.

Academia is often imagined as a space driven by merit, curiosity, and scientific collaboration. Still behind publications, conferences, and research achievements, many women in STEM continue to navigate environments shaped by subtle exclusion, normalized inequalities, and power imbalances that are not always openly discussed. In Earth Sciences, where collaboration and field-based research are fund ...[Read More]

The hidden effects of academic excellence: workaholism in Academia

and September 17, 2025
The hidden effects of academic excellence: workaholism in Academia
Figure generated using VEED IA.

Years have passed since I started my academic career, and I have come to realise that, in academia, excellence appears to come with a price tag. Stress and pressure have become commonplace for academics, often normalising certain behaviours such as workaholism. This essay explores how workaholism have become a common practice in these working environments. It was late, the library lights were blin ...[Read More]

Balancing pregnancy, family, and a scientific career: a look at the challenges faced by women in STEAM

and May 14, 2025
Balancing pregnancy, family, and a scientific career: a look at the challenges faced by women in STEAM
Women in STEAM: Balancing research with raising a family. (Image generated by SEAART.IA)

In this week’s blog post, Dr. Katherine Villavicencio (University of Pisa) explores how women in STEAM navigate pregnancy and family life while advancing in their careers and examines the support (or lack thereof) provided by academic and research institutions. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) careers are undoubtedly demanding. For women in these fields, juggling the ...[Read More]

Silent voices, trapped minds.

and February 12, 2025
Silent voices, trapped minds.
Recreation scene of the psychological thriller God’s Crooked Lines, with PhD students trapped by depression and suicide feelings. Image generated by PromeAI.

In this week’s blog post, Katherine Villavicencio (University of Chieti – Pescara) looks into the world of the mind and the mental-health issues that can result by the pressure behind a research project, such as a doctoral thesis. Here, through a personal reflexion ,she explores the main reasons that can lead candidates to suicidal thoughts, and even to the execution of them, finally a ...[Read More]