Helena Bates

I'm a

In my job, I study rocks. But these aren't your regular, found on the ground rocks. These ones are meteorites, pieces of asteroids and planets that have crashed into Earth, survived their fiery journey through our atmosphere, and landed on the ground.

CV

Experience

Postdoctoral Researcher

2021 - present

Natural History Museum, London

Investigating the origin and evolution of primitive, water-rich meteorites and their relationships to asteroids using a combination of laboratory techniques (eg. X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analyses, electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy) and remote sensing data. OSIRIS-REx partcipating scientist collaborator.

Interim Meteorite Curator

2021

Natural History Museum, London

Responsible for the management, organisation and conservation of the meteorite collection, classifications of new meteorite acquisitions, research and exhibition loan management and outreach and engagement activities. Responsible for the initial curation of the Winchcombe meteorite.

Technical expertise

  • Handling and preparation of meteorite samples
  • X-ray diffraction (XRD)
  • Micro and diffuse infrared (IR) reflectance spectroscopy
  • Thermal emission spectroscopy
  • Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
  • Micro computed tomography (μ-CT)
  • Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

Education

DPhil Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics

2016 - 2021

Natural History Museum, London and University of Oxford

Graduate Scholar, Doctoral Graduation Prize, 2018 Amelia Earhart Fellow

Understanding the formation and evolution of asteroids through the analysis of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites

MSci Geophysics

2012 - 2016

Imperial College London

Governors' Prize in Geophysics

Teaching

PhD supervisor

2022-present

Guest Lecturer

2021-present

Imperial College London

Solar System Geoscience: Meteorites

Undergraduate research supervisor

2022

Publications

Below are some of the papers I've taken a lead author role in, or contributed to in a significant way. These and the other publications I've been involved in can be found on my google scholar page.

  • All
  • 1st Author
  • Collaborator

2024

Extent of alteration, paleomagnetic history, and infrared spectral properties of the Tarda ungrouped carbonaceous chondrite

2024

The bulk mineralogy, elemental composition, and water content of the Winchcombe CM chondrite fall

2024

Recovery and curation of the Winchcombe (CM2) meteorite

2023

CARINA: A near-Earth D-type asteroid sample return mission

2021

A spectral investigation of aqueously and thermally altered CM, CM-an and CY chondrites under simulated asteroid conditions for comparison with OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2 observations.

2021

Calathus: A sample-return mission to Ceres

2020

Linking mineralogy and spectroscopy of highly aqueously altered CM and CI carbonaceous chondrites in preparation for primitive asteroid sample return

2019

The Yamato-type (CY) carbonaceous chondrite group: Analogues for the surface of asteroid Ryugu?

2017

Long-lived magnetism on chondrite parent bodies

Science Communication

I believe that science communicationn and public engagement is a really important part of being a scientist. Below I've put some of the talk recordings, articles and podcasts I've been involved with during my career.

BBC News

May 2021

Pythagorean Astronomy Podcast

March 2021

Natural History Museum Nature Live

February 2021

Contact

Address

Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD

Email Me

h.bates@nhm.ac.uk