Natasha Stephen

Dr. Natasha Stephen is a Researcher in the Department of Microstructure Physics and Alloy Design at the University of Plymouth, where she directs the Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre. Her work focuses on applying advanced microscopy techniques to study astromaterials, bridging nano-scale analysis with planetary science to unravel geological histories and origins of extraterrestrial specimens.

Her research integrates

• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
• Electron-Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD)
• Micro Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (µFT-IR)
• X-ray Microscopy (XRM)
• Tomography for 3D Structural Analysis

across scales from microscopic to astronomical. Publications highlight her contributions to understanding Martian meteorites, aqueous alteration processes, and volatile history in the solar system.

Articles demonstrate trends in

• Multi-scale Correlative Microscopy
• Synchrtron-Based Spectroscopic Methods
• Classification of Meteorite Parent Bodies
• Non-Destructive Analysis of Extraterrestrial Materials
• Thermal Infrared Imaging
• Geochemical History Reconstruction