I was born in Geneva, Switzerland, but was raised in Western France in Brittany. I returned to Switzerland when I started high school.

August 2014.

Because UNLV has a dynamic and broad geoscience department and it is a great opportunity to set up a new planetary program with my colleagues.

I received a bachelor’s degree in geosciences and a master’s degree in geology from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. My Ph.D is in geology from the University of Tennessee.

As a kid, I wanted to become an astronaut and this passion about space never dissipated In high school, I realized that if I became a geologist I would be able to work on meteorites and better understand our solar system. And that is exactly what I did.

My main area of research is igneous petrology and Martian geology. I am interested in understanding Martian magmatic processes through the study of meteorites and surface compositions measured by Martian rovers. To understand magmatic processes on Mars as well as its crust and mantle compositions, I use tools similar to a traditional terrestrial geologist, such as microscopy and electron and ion mass-spectrometry. Studying Martian geology can help us better understand early Earth and our whole solar system.

Try to figure out what you like early and set up goals.

I like to hike, climb, and run. Las Vegas has some of the best climbing areas in the nation and is very close to various national parks making UNLV an even better fit for me.