An Open University scientist has been handpicked by the European Space Agency (ESA) and offered a Fellowship to continue her studies into how the surface of Mars is shaped by wind.
Dr Elena Favaro is a postdoctoral research assistant at the OU who specialises in aeolian geomorphology – the process by which wind contributes to the landscape evolution of planets.
She is only one of 12 scientists who have been chosen from across the globe for a fellowship that could last up to three years.
Working alongside Matt Balme, Professor of Planetary Geoscience at the OU’s School of Physical Sciences, she is also a member of the ExoMars PanCam science team.
At the OU, she studied the aeolian history of Oxia Planum – the landing site for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, which is due to launch in 2028.
And as part of that research, she travelled with the team to Iceland to conduct field work to better understand how the rover’s cameras will operate on Mars.
The Fellowship will provide Elena with access to a network of exceptional scientists, engineers, and researchers who share the same passion for space exploration and discovery.
She said:
“All the ESA Fellows I know are incredibly talented scientists who lead cutting-edge research in their field and support their academic communities. To now be among their ranks is frankly mindboggling.”
But it means that at the end of 2024, Elena will say goodbye to her OU colleagues to take up her Fellowship at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, Netherlands.
She said:
“I’m incredibly grateful to my friends and colleagues here at the OU who have supported, guided, and mentored me these past three years, and without whom I couldn’t have submitted a competitive application.”
She added:
“I am immensely grateful and forever indebted to my advisor/line manager/friend Matt Balme, and to all the members of the Planetary Environments Group who welcomed me so thoroughly and supported me all these years. I’m just so glad I’ve done them proud!”
Matt said:
“Elena arrived in our group a week before the Covid lockdown began, so she had the hardest possible start to a new position in a new country. That never phased her, though, and she’s become a well-loved and well-respected part of our research group. We are really going to miss her, but we wish her all the best for this great opportunity.”
