The difference between science and the arts is not that they are different sides of the same coin even, or even different parts of the same continuum, but rather, they are manifestations of the same thing. The arts and sciences are avatars of human creativity.
Mae Jemison
science
My research has focused on developing new methods for remote sensing analysis with an ongoing focus on planetary surfaces and geophysics. Currently, I’m a postdoc with the Europa Lander and Europa Clipper project science teams at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where I’m working on how to plan for sampling the surface of Europa. I recently completed my Ph.D. in Space & Climate Physics at UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory, where my work combined 3D image processing, visualization, and geologic analysis to understand Gale crater, the exploration site of Curiosity Rover. I earned my B.A. (hons.) in geology and music composition from the University of Rochester and I’m also an alumna of the NASA Academy.
speaking & organizing
I often speak about my work and its relationship with society. With Dr. Ellie Armstrong, I’m also the co-organizer of Space Science in Context, an experimental virtual conference about space and society and which seeks to innovate virtual meetings, funded in 2020 by the UCL Resesarcher-led Initiative Award and 2022 by the Royal Astronomical Society. I’m also a virtual conference consultant interested in finding creative solutions to the difficult problem of effective, enriching, and accessible virtual meetings. I currently serve as the vice-chair of the board for the JustSpace Alliance and I’m an affiliate of the Centre for Outer Space Studies.
art
I have a forthcoming book of poetry with the ‘Great’ Indian Poetry Collective, do not perform this: a song cycle, which earned the Collective’s Editor’s Choice Award in 2017, and I read and publish my poetry internationally, with poems in Anomaly, Sangam, The Deaf Poets Society, and The A3 Review, and elsewhere.
I released my debut album as a composer in 2017, THEY WILL BE FREE, which fuses epic poetry and contemporary classical music. My other musical projects include the chamber-pop duo The Scientific Endeavour with Najia Khaled and an upcoming electro-acoustic/rock project.
Dr. Divya M. Persaud 