Soumya Ray

Graduate Associate,

School Of Earth and Space Exploration

soumya.ray@asu.edu

Research Interests

Stable isotopes are the record-keepers of conditions of accretion, differentiation, and evolution of planetary bodies. Iron and silicon isotopes are particularly crucial because they are sensitive to prevailing oxygen fugacity, temperature and pressure. I am a fifth year graduate student in the Geological Sciences. My research focuses on the Fe and Si isotope composition of bulk meteorites and their mineral phases. I specifically study the fractionation behavior of these isotopes during metal-silicate segregation in planetary bodies.

I also study the mechanical properties of iron meteorites to infer the strength properties, cratering, and collisional evolution of metallic asteroids. My work has implications for the NASA Discovery class Psyche mission which will visit asteroid 16-Psyche: a metallic asteroid which could potentially be the core of a differentiated body.

Research Group

https://wadhwagroup.asu.edu/

Honors / Awards

2019 , 2020 Graduate Excellence Award, The College, ASU 2018 - 2021 NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (Planetary Sciences) 2018 SESE Summer Exploration Fellowship, ASU 2012 - 2015 Research Fellowship in Earth, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Sciences, (All India Rank - 4) Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India 2013 Gold Medal, University of Delhi, India (M.Sc) 2011 Science Meritorious Student for the Year in Geology 2011 University Topper, University of Pune (B.Sc)

Travel Awards 2020 Nininger Student Travel Award (LPSC LI) 2020 ASU GPSA Student Travel Award 2019 NASA Planetary Sciences Division Travel Grant (82nd Meteoritical Society Meeting) 2017 Barringer Crater Company Travel Grant (80th Meteoritical Society Meeting)

Expertise Areas

Cosmochemistry

Geochemistry

Planetary Sciences