معرفی
Meenakshi Wadhwa is a Foundation Professor and Director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University (ASU). She holds additional appointments as Distinguished Visiting Scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA's Principal Scientist for the Mars Sample Return program. Her expertise spans cosmochemistry, planetary geochemistry, and the formation of the Solar System.
Education: PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Washington University (1994), postdoctoral research at UC San Diego, and prior roles at the Field Museum (Chicago) and ASU's Center for Meteorite Studies (2006–2019). Current roles include overseeing the School of Earth and Space Exploration and leading the Isotope Cosmochemistry and Geochronology Laboratory (ICGL).
Research focuses on isotopic analyses of meteorites and extraterrestrial samples to understand Solar System chronology, volatile evolution, and planetary processes. Notable work includes studies on calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions, Mars' water history, and asteroid Ryugu samples from Hayabusa2.
Award highlights include National Academy of Sciences membership (2023), J. Lawrence Smith Medal (2021), and asteroid 8356 named in her honor. She advises over 20 graduate and undergraduate students, many of whom have become leading researchers in planetary science. Key collaborations include the Mars Sample Return program and leadership in NASA's Sample Analysis teams.
Labs/Teams: Director of ICGL, which houses ultra-clean facilities for extraterrestrial material analysis. Active in missions like MMX (Martian Moons Exploration) and JAXA/NASA sample return initiatives. Future work includes advancing Mars Sample Return science and analyzing returned asteroid/comet materials.
