{"id":275,"date":"2026-03-11T19:31:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T19:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/ic-wip\/?p=275"},"modified":"2026-03-03T19:31:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T19:31:33","slug":"wnbiponwednesdays-prof-marina-galand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/ic-wip\/2026\/03\/11\/wnbiponwednesdays-prof-marina-galand\/","title":{"rendered":"#WNBiPonWednesdays: Prof Marina Galand"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week on #WNBiPonWednesdays, we are featuring Prof Marina Galand, a professor in planetary sciences! Thank you for your time!<\/p>\n

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What is your area of expertise?<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

My research focuses on <\/span>plasma <\/span>around planets, moons, and comets in the Solar System. More specifically, I am interested in the deposition and redistribution of solar and <\/span>auroral energy<\/span> in atmospheres. The deposited energy ionises the atmospheric neutrals; the induced plasma layer plays a critical role in the interaction of the body with its environment. The energy deposition can also be probed remotely, through, for example, the spectacular auroral emissions (or northern\/southern lights at Earth). I have been developing and adapting <\/span>kinetic <\/span>and <\/span>fluid models <\/span>and have applied multi-instrument analysis, to interpret observations from space missions, including <\/span>Cassini <\/span>(Saturn and Titan) and <\/span>Rosetta <\/span>(comet 67P), and in preparation to <\/span>JUICE <\/span>(Jupiter and Ganymede) and Comet Interceptor. My research has evolved from pure modelling to data analysis and processing, and to <\/span>instrumentation<\/span>. I am currently leading the magnetometer on probe B2, as part of<\/span> Comet Interceptor<\/span>, the next space mission to a yet-to-be-discovered comet!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Can you describe the path you took to get here?<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

I did my undergraduate studies in <\/span>France<\/span>, obtaining a BSc in Math, a Master in Physics and an Engineering degree. After a PhD on the modelling of <\/span>proton-induced<\/span> aurora, in Grenoble, France, I headed to the US where I worked first at two<\/span> space research <\/span>centres in Boulder, Colorado, and then at Boston University. I next joined Imperial as a Lecturer. This path may seem smooth, but every few years I would question myself about the direction, the type of work I would like to do, the country where to live. Once the decision taken, I would <\/span>embrace <\/span>it fully for a few years without questioning it. I found it to be the best way to stay productive while enjoying it.<\/span><\/p>\n

What have your experiences been like as a woman in Physics? (the good and the bad)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

For a long time I thought of myself as a scientist, not as a woman scientist. While the experience has been mostly positive, at times I had to build a <\/span>shield <\/span>against misogynistic attitudes and to prove more than my male counterparts. When becoming a <\/span>mother<\/span>, I found it difficult first to reach the right <\/span>balance <\/span>between family and work, and not to feel guilty at home or at work. I am trying to be fully <\/span>present <\/span>at each moment of life, embracing the role I have at that time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you have any advice for Women in Physics who hope to continue into research?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n