Planetary Science and Finding Your Career Path with Dr. Alyssa Rhoden | The Life of Her Mind Ep. 2

The Life of Her Mind is dedicated to learning about how these women think — how they think about their careers, disciplines, and future. Each episode focuses on a single professional working in or around the sciences, with an eye toward uncovering what makes each individual’s contributions unique.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Alyssa Rhoden, Principal Scientist at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, to episode two of ‘The Life of Her Mind’.

Dr. Rhoden previously held posts at Arizona State University, where she was an Assistant Professor of Planetary Science, Johns Hopkins University, where she was a member of the Europa Clipper Pre-Project Team in Johns Hopkins’ Applied Physics Laboratory, and a NASA Post-Doc Fellow and then Mission Scientist at Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Dr. Rhoden completed her B.S. in Physics (with minors in math and planetary science) at the University of Arizona in Tucson (Go Cats!), and her PhD in Earth and Planetary Science at Berkeley. Her dissertation, “The rotation and fracture history of Europa from modeling of tidal-tectonic processes” set the stage for her current work at SwRI.

Dr. Rhoden is not only committed to advancing scientific knowledge of Europa, but she is also committed to advancing students’ careers. Dr. Rhoden is always open to giving advice to budding scientists searching for their place in the field of their choice, not only because she is enthusiastic about the power of sharing knowledge and experience, but also because she knows how daunting it can be to figure out what’s going to work for one’s own particular situation. After having two young children, Dr. Rhoden was herself confronted with the challenge of juggling motherhood and a high-level career. Her experiences show us how professionals can achieve both their professional and personal goals by through innovation and creativity.

Read more about Dr. Rhoden in a Labroots exclusive interview and connect with her on Twitter @aRhoDynamics.

About the series:

The Life of Her Mind is dedicated to learning about how these women about their careers, disciplines, and future. Each episode focuses on a single professional working in or around the sciences, with an eye toward uncovering what makes each individual’s contributions unique.

The series is hosted by Labroots Science Writer Mia Wood, Ph.D., a philosophy professor and writer living and working at the intersection of philosophy and everything else. Among her relevant interests are the philosophy of early modern science, the nature of consciousness, and personal identity.