Valerie Payré

Valerie Payré

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Iowa

I am a planetary geologist, and my primary research interest is understanding the evolution of planetary bodies, with an emphasis on Mars, to better constrain the geological history of our own planet. My work crosses several disciplines including igneous petrology, geochemistry, mineralogy, and sedimentology to assess planetary surface and interior evolution and constrain magmatic processes on Mars and other planets.

I use various methods including measurements from the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers (ChemCam, SuperCam, APXS, PIXL, and CheMin) and orbital data (CRISM visible/near infrared spectroscopy and TES and THEMIS thermal infrared spectroscopy), modeling, experimental petrology, and laboratory measurements.