Luz María Martínez Sierra

Space Environments technologist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Luz Maria is an Engineering Physicist from Universidad EAFIT, M.Sc. in Engineering Physics with an emphasis on space science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Currently, she’s is a Ph.D. candidate in Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University. During her studies at Texas, she was part of the Minority Scholar Program and as a result, she had the opportunity to do an internship at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory JPL NASA in Pasadena, California.

In 2014 she joined a scientific team at JPL with the mission of modeling and simulating with high fidelity the radiation around planets like Jupiter, to guarantee the success of future robotic explorations. Simultaneously, she is working on finishing her Ph.D. dissertation with the goal of investigating the radiation environment on Mars using data captured by the curiosity rover.

Besides working at JPL she likes to give talks and participate in different events in California and Colombia, to motivate young students and girls to engage in STEM disciplines. Luz Maria is an example for women who want to join research fields usually dominated by men. She has received several recognitions for her efforts in promoting diversity and inclusivity in the scientific community and her dedication to her professional career and community.