Sarah Silverman

Sarah is a first year MSc student in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at McGill, working under the co-supervision of Dr. Nicolas Cowan and Dr. Natalya Gomez. She is using numerical simulations to study deep-water cycling and ice sheet formation on M-dwarf planets, including their implications for habitability.

Sarah graduated cum laude from Columbia University in May 2024, majoring in astrophysics, with a concentration in earth science. During her first and second years, she analyzed data from the NuSTAR x-ray telescope as a member of a high-energy astrophysics research group. She subsequently pivoted her research focus to planetary sciences. Sarah spent her senior year working at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory on two separate projects, one of which related to identifying patterns of sea level change for ice sheets, glaciers, and other sources of water mass, and led her to connect with Dr. Gomez.

Sarah is also passionate about scientific public outreach and has sought ways to empower others to engage with science confidently and successfully. She especially enjoyed working as an elementary school math tutor in a Columbia-led afterschool program and is excited to continue such outreach during her time in Montreal.