Christina "Chrissy" Richey is an American

planetary scientist Planetary science (or more rarely, planetology) is the scientific study of planets (including Earth), celestial bodies (such as moons, asteroids, comets) and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System) and the processes of their ...

and astrophysicist working at

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA an ...

La Cañada Flintridge, California La Cañada Flintridge, commonly known as "La Cañada" (Spanish for "The Canyon"), is a city in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains in Los Angeles County, California. Located in the Crescenta Valley, in the western edge of Southern Califor ...

. Richey is a project staff scientist for the

Europa Clipper Europa Clipper (previously known as Europa Multiple Flyby Mission) is an interplanetary mission in development by NASA comprising an orbiter. Planned for launch in October 2024, the spacecraft is being developed to study the Galilean moon Europ ...

mission and is a research technologist in the Astrophysics and Space Sciences Section. Prior to working at

JPL The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA an ...

, Richey worked as contractor for

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, or ASRC, is one of 13 Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. ASRC was incorporated in Alaska on June 22, ...

NASA Headquarters NASA Headquarters, officially known as Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters or NASA HQ and formerly named Two Independence Square, is a low-rise office building in the two-building Independence Square complex at 300 E Street SW in Washington, D.C. ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

They were a program officer in NASA's Planetary Science Division, the deputy program scientist for the

OSIRIS-REx OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) is a NASA asteroid-study and sample-return mission. The mission's primary goal is to obtain a sample of at least from 101955 Bennu, a carbonac ...

mission, and the deputy science advisor for research and analysis for the

Science Mission Directorate The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) engages the United States’ science community, sponsors scientific research, and develops and deploys satellites and probes in collaboration with NAS ...

. Richey is known for their education about the effects of

harassment Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and moral ...

in the workplace and within the planetary and astronomical sciences. They were the chair of the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

's Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy from 2015 to 2017, was the co-chair of the

Division for Planetary Sciences Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

' Subcommittee on Professional Climate and Culture, from 2015 to 2017, and are an active blogger for the Women in Astronomy blog.

Early life and education

Richey received their undergraduate degree in physics at

Wheeling Jesuit University Wheeling University (WU, formerly Wheeling Jesuit University) is a private Roman Catholic university in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was founded as Wheeling College in 1954 by the Society of Jesus (also known as the Jesuits) and was a Jesuit inst ...

in 2004. They completed their master's (2007) and PhD (2011) in physics from the

University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a Public university#United States, public List of research universities in the United States, research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Developed from an academic extension center established i ...

, where they did laboratory investigations related to both the icy moons of the outer solar system and the interstellar medium. They were a

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

postdoctoral fellow A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...

at NASA

Goddard Space Flight Center The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is a major NASA space research laboratory located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. Established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center, GSFC empl ...

, where they studied the optical properties of dust grain analogs to better understand early stellar system formation.

Career and research

Richey currently works at

as project staff scientist for the

Mission.

will conduct detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter's moon Europa and investigate whether the icy moon could harbor conditions suitable for life. Richey was the deputy science advisor for the

(SMD), where they compiled and distributed information about the Research and Analysis (R&A) awards from the SMD Divisions, and focused on communication with the greater communities working directly with the SMD. Additionally, they were the deputy program scientist in the Planetary Science Division for the

Mission (the Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security- Regolith Mission).

launched in 2016 and will travel to a near-Earth asteroid, called

Bennu Bennu is an ancient Egyptian deity linked with the Sun, creation, and rebirth. He may have been the original inspiration for the phoenix legends that developed in Greek mythology. Roles According to Egyptian mythology, Bennu was a self-create ...

and bring back a returned sample to Earth for study. The mission will help scientists investigate how planets formed and how life began, as well as improve our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth. In addition to their work, they have worked to promote inclusion within their field. They have spent much of their career speaking at conferences about harassment, efforts to overcome the problems within the field, and educating peers about the impact harassment has on their colleagues. They say women in vulnerable positions within the field—women of color, young women, and those who need to advance their careers—are more likely to face harassment in the workplace. Richey was the chair of the

's Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy from 2015 to 2017 and was the co-chair of the

' Subcommittee on Professional Climate and Culture.

Awards and honors

*2014: Recognized with an

Honor Award. *2015: Received WJU James O'Brien Award from

*2015: Named the Alumni Scholar in Residence by

*2015: Received

Harold Masursky Award The Harold Masursky Award for Meritorious Service to Planetary Science, usually called the Masursky Award, is awarded annually by the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society. The award for Meritorious Service to P ...

from the

for outstanding service to planetary science and exploration *2016: Received the Trailblazing Alumni Award in the College of Arts and Sciences by The University of Alabama at Birmingham *2020: Elected a Legacy Fellow of the

in 2020.

References

External links

* Richey'
2015 presentation
reporting results of a survey about harassment in astronomy {{DEFAULTSORT:Richey, Christina Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American women scientists Women astrophysicists Women planetary scientists Planetary scientists Wheeling University alumni University of Alabama at Birmingham alumni Fellows of the American Astronomical Society 21st-century American women