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Ryan Bradley Anderson

Ryan Anderson is a planetary scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center and science team member on the Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rover missions.

Ryan attended the University of Michigan, where he double majored in Physics and Astronomy, and Cornell University where received his PhD in Planetary Science. He conducted a detailed study of Gale crater, the landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory Rover (MSL), and is a member of the ChemCam instrument science team. Ryan is also a member of the science team on the SuperCam instrument on the Perseverance rover. His work with ChemCam and SuperCam focuses on improving the accuracy of the chemistry measurements made by the instruments. In addition to his research and mission operations, Ryan is passionate about communicating science to the public, and serves as Communication Lead for the Astrogeology Science Center. He enjoys teaching and public speaking and for several years ran a planetary science-themed blog called The Martian Chronicles, which was one of the founding blogs of the American Geophysical Union blogosphere. That blog evolved into a group blog hosted by NASA JPL that shares updates on what the Curiosity rover is currently doing.