Hi, I am Emma!

Exploring how the Moon is built, and how it has evolved.

Emma Vellard smiling at NASA JPL

I'm a planetary scientist studying the Moon, from its deep interior to the history preserved at its surface. At NASA JPL, I compare interior models to explore how composition and temperature affect the mantle and the Moon's response to tides. In January 2027, I will begin a PhD at DLR Berlin, using gravity and topography to investigate how the interior has shaped the surface over geological time.

Explore my researchDownload CV (PDF)

From the inside out

One Moon, two timescales.

My current work asks how composition and temperature affect the mantle today. The PhD will use the surface record to investigate its evolution over geological time.

Now — NASA JPL · 2026

Illustration of the Moon's layered interior

What is the Moon made of, deep inside?

Comparing plausible interior models to understand how composition, temperature and material behaviour affect the Moon's response to tides.

Next — PhD, DLR Berlin · January 2027

Illustration of a lunar mare basin with its layered rim

How has the Moon's interior shaped its surface?

I will use gravity and topography to investigate what volcanic plains and impact basins reveal about the interior's history.

A map of the research

The Moon, layer by layer.

Surface features preserve clues to processes deeper inside. This is where the two research questions meet.

Illustration of a half cross-section of the Moon, numbered 1 for the crust, 2 for the mantle and 3 for the core
Conceptual cross-section, not to scale. Numbers identify the layers.

  1. Surface record

    Crust & surface

    Volcanic plains (maria), impact basins, ridges and rifts record volcanism and deformation. I will use gravity and topography to investigate that history.

  2. Interior properties

    Mantle

    My models link composition and temperature to mineralogy, density and rigidity. The PhD will investigate its viscosity through the surface deformation it helps produce.

  3. Model context

    Core

    The core is included in the interior models. Its properties are considered together with the crust and mantle when evaluating the Moon's mass and moment of inertia.

Earlier work

Illustration of spacecraft around the Sun linked by observation lines

ESA · 2023–2025

SolarConflux

Open-source tool for planning coordinated observations across spacecraft.

Illustration of a rocket on a landing pad near a lunar base

ISU · 2025

Lunar Spaceport

Team study of lunar resources, logistics and infrastructure for sustained operations.

Illustration of the YPSat camera in orbit above Earth

ESA · 2023–2024

YPSat

Embedded software for the wake-up subsystem of a payload flown on Ariane 6's first launch.

Illustration of Phobos and Deimos above spectral waves

Tohoku University · 2023

Phobos & Deimos

Visible–near-infrared laboratory spectroscopy of analogue samples in the MMX mission context.

Illustration of a CubeSat sounding the layered subsurface of Ceres by radar

LATMOS · 2022

Diplona

Radar sounder concept for Ceres' subsurface on a 3U CubeSat.

Path

  1. DLRUpcoming PhD · January 2027Germany
  2. NASA JPLVisiting researcher · 2026United States
  3. ESAYoung Graduate Trainee · 2023–2025Netherlands
  4. Tohoku UniversityResearch intern · 2023Japan
  5. ESAIntern · 2022Spain
  6. ISAE-SUPAERO · ISU · Observatoire de ParisDegrees & trainingFrance · South Korea

Papers & talks

Papers

Talks & posters