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About

Ana‐Catalina Plesa is a leading planetary scientist whose research focuses on the thermal evolution and interior dynamics of terrestrial planets, with a particular emphasis on Mars. Her major contributions include advancing our understanding of how heat flow shapes planetary geology and habitability. She is a key figure in the NASA InSight mission, notably as a co-author on the seminal 2018 paper describing the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3), which aims to make the first in situ measurement of Martian heat flow at Elysium Planitia. This work, with 146 citations, is central to constraining Mars’ thermal history and interior structure. Plesa’s impact extends beyond instrumentation; she has developed sophisticated numerical models of mantle convection and coupled thermal-orbital evolution, shedding light on volcanic activity, crustal formation, and the long-term cooling of Mars. Her research has been widely recognized, with over 2,500 total citations, and she has contributed to multiple high-profile studies on the Red Planet’s geodynamics. For students and researchers, Plesa exemplifies how integrating mission data with theoretical modeling can unlock the secrets of planetary interiors.