#14 Britney Schmidt on Robotic Submersibles, Rising Sea Levels, and the Potential of Extraterrestrial Life 

Britney Schmidt, PhD, joins Nick Dirks to discuss what we can learn from earth’s harshest environments, what the Thwaites Glacier tells us about rising sea levels, and why she believes Europa deserves more attention than Mars. Dr. Britney Schmidt is a planetary scientist, glaciologist, and astrobiologist whose groundbreaking work explores the hidden oceans beneath ice worlds – both on Earth and beyond. Currently Associate Professor at Cornell University and Principal Investigator of the Planetary Habitability and Technology Lab, Dr. Schmidt leads major NASA- and NSF-funded projects, including the development of robotic submersibles to study Earth’s subglacial lakes and Europa’s potential ocean, helping us understand habitability in the solar system and resilience in the face of climate change. In 2024, Prof. Schmidt was named a Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists Laurate, which is administered by the Academy in collaboration with the Blavatnik Family Foundation.

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