PhD Scientist | Graduate Geology, Mineralogy, XRD & Remote Sensing

Kevin R.

I am a Ph.D. planetary scientist and geologist at Brown University with more than 12 years of research and mentoring experience. I specialize in helping undergraduate and graduate students understand geology, mineralogy, crystallography, geochemistry, spectroscopy, remote sensing, and planetary science.

My research combines laboratory mineralogy and spectroscopy with satellite remote sensing to understand geological and planetary materials. I have extensive experience with X-ray diffraction (XRD), quantitative mineralogy and Rietveld analysis, VIS-NIR and infrared spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging, scanning electron microscopy, and quantitative spectral analysis. I have served as Principal Investigator on multiple NASA-funded research projects and as a participating scientist with the Curiosity Rover mission on Mars.

At Brown, I have trained and mentored graduate students and early-career researchers in mineralogy, spectroscopy, XRD, remote sensing, experimental design, data analysis, and scientific interpretation. I particularly enjoy working with advanced students who are beginning to work with real scientific data and research questions.

I can help with introductory through graduate-level geology, mineralogy, crystallography, XRD, geochemistry, spectroscopy, remote sensing, hyperspectral analysis, and planetary science. I also offer graduate research mentoring, scientific data interpretation, and Ph.D. qualifying/preliminary exam preparation, including mock oral examinations.

My teaching style is patient, supportive, and focused on understanding rather than memorization. I try to identify where a student's understanding begins to break down and build from there. My goal is not simply to solve the immediate problem, but to help students develop the scientific reasoning and confidence needed to tackle new problems independently.