Mark Boyd banner

RoleSecond year PhD student, Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London

Subject area: Planetary science and meteoritics

Nationality: British

I am a PhD student in planetary science at Imperial, affiliated with the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment. I am British and prior to my PhD, lived in the USA for two years where I began to apply my natural science background to all things space!

Hear from Mark, who is studying dust from space, about why he wanted to research this area.

Interview with Mark

Hear from Mark, who is studying dust from space, about why he wanted to research this area.

Education

EducationGCSE (or equivalent): Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Religious Studies, Geography, Latin, French, English (Literature & Language)

A-Level (or equivalent): Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Religious Studies, Further Maths (AS)

Degrees:
• BSc Natural Sciences (Chemistry & Earth Science), Durham University
• MS Geology, University of Alabama, USA
• PhD in Earth Science and Engineering (on-going), Imperial College London

 

Detail about Mark

Research

My research

My research focuses on tiny solid droplets, called microspherules, produced by various planetary and environmental processes, including the interaction of extra-terrestrial dust with the atmosphere. Though they are smaller than a human hair, these miniscule messengers carry information about our Solar System as well as the Earth’s past climate.

My inspiration

My inspiration

My grandfather was involved in the early days of British space research – seeing his models of rockets, I was inspired by their mission to explore and discover, and dreamed to be involved!

My STEM hero

Who is your STEM hero?

Galileo Galilei – a polymath and natural scientist who proposed game-changing conclusions rooted in his observations. I’ve also appreciated Iain Stewart as a science communicator and geologist – he has a real awe for our planet and conveys the science in an engaging way.

Periodic Table close up arty

Most significant discovery/invention?

The Periodic Table, set out by Dmitri Mendeleev – describing nature’s building blocks in this way has had huge implications for predicting chemical interactions on every scale, from atoms to galaxies.

Students inside Outreach planetarium

Career options after study

  • Planetary scientist (space agency)
  • Museum curator
  • Science communicator (observatory, planetarium, government adviser)
  • Geologist
  • Environmental scientist
table tennis close-up 3000x2000

My hobbies

Though not very good, I love to play table tennis (usually on a mis-sized table) and enjoy being outdoors – when not encountering bears or getting stuck in the mud (fieldwork can be quite diverse!).

Mark talks about space dust and what it can tell us about the solar system and our own planet.

Mark talks about his research

Mark talks about space dust and what it can tell us about the solar system and our own planet.

Learn more about others working in this area

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