Mary Elise Rumpf

As a Research Geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center (ASC), I lead and collaborate on projects that integrate terrestrial and planetary volcanology, remote sensing, hazard modeling, and data infrastructure development. My work advances fundamental research by leveraging terrestrial analogs to interpret planetary surfaces, particularly through the analysis of active volcanism and lava flow dynamics. I work within an interdisciplinary environment that includes scientists, software engineers, education specialists, and data managers, and fosters strong collaborations across federal agencies (including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE)), academia, and research institutions. I routinely collaborate on multi-institutional teams, develop project plans and budgets, and supervise and mentor early-career scientists and technical staff.

Before joining the USGS, Elise earned her Ph.D. at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa in Geology and Geophysics studying the heat transferred from lava flows into the substrate. She then went to Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory where she designed and implemented laboratory experiments to determine how substrate roughness effects lava flow emplacement.