Rosaly Lopes

Planetary Science Advisor

Rosaly M. C. Lopes is Directorate Scientist for the Planetary Science Directorate and a Senior Research Scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Dr. Lopes was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She has a Bachelor of Sciences in Astronomy and a Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences from University College London (part of the University of London, UK). Her major research interests are planetary and terrestrial geology and volcanology.

Dr. Lopes worked on the Cassini mission to Saturn from 2002 until 2018, with the role of Investigation Scientist for the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper Team. She is currently studying data acquired by Cassini, in particular, the geology and potential habitability of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, as a Principal Investigator in NASA’s Astrobiology Institute, leading an international team.

In addition to her science work, Dr Lopes is a strong supporter of education, diversity, and outreach, nationally and internationally. She has given numerous public lectures in the US and abroad, on every continent including Antarctica. She has been active in the media, giving hundreds of interviews, and has been featured on over twenty TV documentaries and shows in the US alone, including for National Geographic, Discovery, Science Channel, PBS, The Weather Channel and History channel.