Mark Scully

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Dr. Mark Scully is a leading roboticist whose work bridges the gap between autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and extreme environment exploration, with a particular focus on planetary analog missions. His most cited work, "The ARTEMIS under‐ice AUV docking system" (2017, 91 citations), represents a landmark contribution to sub-ice and sub-glacial robotics. This system demonstrated autonomous docking capabilities critical for exploring oceans on icy moons like Europa and Enceladus, as well as terrestrial sub-glacial lakes accessed through narrow, melted shafts. Scully’s research addresses the fundamental challenge of vehicle geometry constraints in these environments, enabling long-duration, untethered missions. His work has significant implications for both astrobiology and climate science, where under-ice access is essential for sampling pristine ecosystems. Beyond this flagship paper, Scully’s broader portfolio encompasses autonomous navigation, docking mechanisms, and system integration for extreme environments. His contributions have been recognized through collaborations with NASA and other space agencies, positioning him as a key figure in the next generation of planetary exploration robotics. For students and researchers, Scully’s work exemplifies how engineering innovation directly enables transformative science in the most inaccessible places on Earth and beyond.