Do you have a telescope?
Not at the moment, but I owned one as a child and about 10 years ago. Maybe someday, if I stop moving around so much, I will pick one up again!
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As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
I wanted to work on something related to space ever since I was 5 years old, thanks to Star Trek. When Mars Pathfinder landed in 1997, my attention turned to Mars specifically.
Explain what you do in one easy paragraph.
I am a planetary geologist, studying features on Mars that can tell us about its past. I have worked in mission operations for the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. I also create partnerships between the university and commercial space firms.
Sum up your life in a one-sentence elevator pitch鈥�
I鈥檓 a professional Martian working on rocks and robots on the Red Planet.
What do you love most about what you do?
I love studying cool images from Mars to try and unlock its secrets. You never know what you might find. It never gets old.
What鈥檚 the most exciting thing you are working on right now?
I am working on a project to improve food and the experience of eating in space. It is different from anything I鈥檝e done before, but it combines two of my loves: space and food.
Were you good at science at school?
Yes. I was definitely a stereotypical science geek, but I also really owned it, so rather than being teased, everyone kind of respected it.
If you could send a message back to yourself as a kid, what would you say?
Even though you have the chance to skip second year algebra, don鈥檛 do it. It will come back to haunt you in calculus class at college.
鈥淐alling Mars the Red Planet is a misnomer. Under the veneer, it is actually more of a grey colour鈥�
What鈥檚 the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?
A friend once said: 鈥淩emember, you know more about the specific thing that you are talking about than anyone else in the room. Be confident in that.鈥� That really helped me get over my fear of public speaking.
If you could have a long conversation with any scientist, living or dead, who would it be?
Stephen Hawking was a big inspiration to me as a teen after I had been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis because he was the only scientist I knew of with a physical disability. I would love to just sit with him at a dark sky site, stare up at the stars, and speculate about the universe.
What鈥檚 the best thing you鈥檝e read or seen in the past 12 months?
The Apollo 11 IMAX film, hands down. It was a powerful reminder that humans are capable of incredible things, especially when given a focused goal and the finances to back it up.
Do you have a weird hobby and, if so, please will you tell us about it?
I have a love of public transit systems, particularly the Toronto subway. I like to ride subways to see the various stations. There鈥檚 something peaceful about zoning out while riding the subway.
How useful will your skills be after the apocalypse?
Unless we are living on Mars, probably not very useful.
OK, one last thing: tell us something that will blow our minds鈥�
Calling Mars the Red Planet is a bit of a misnomer. Under the thin veneer of reddish, rusty dust, Mars is actually more of a grey colour, like the moon.
