Dr. Barbara De Toffoli is a planetary geologist and research fellow at the University of Padova, where she also obtained her M.Sc. in Geology and Technical Geology in 2015 and completed her Ph.D. in Earth Sciences in 2019. Additionally, she completed a program in Project Management training at the Bologna Business School. De Toffoli’s expertise lies in geomorphological and structural analysis of planetary surfaces. With a particular focus on large scale mappings and understanding fluid circulation processes, whether aqueous or magmatic, on and within planetary crusts. Throughout her career, she has actively participated in various international research groups at renowned institutions across Italy (INAF), Germany (DLR), and France (LPG), and planetary exploration missions. Her research has contributed to missions investigating Mars, Mercury, and Venus. Currently, she serves as the Principal Investigator of the HECATE project, investigating the evolution of Venus and its volcano-tectonic features.
email: barbara.detoffoli@unipd.it
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Barbara-De-Toffoli
Dr. Nicholas Montiel is a planetary geologist interested in comparative planetology, geodynamic modeling, using remote sensing methods to characterize planetary tectonism, and planetary mission science. He received his Bachelor of Science in geology from the University of Arizona in 2018 and his Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin in 2024 in geosciences with his thesis “Tectonic and Magmatic Processes During Extension in Planetary Lithospheres: Rifting, Spreading, Delamination, and Recycling on Earth and Venus.” That same year he joined the HECATE team as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Padova where he investigates the relationship between coronae and volcanic activity and helps develop numerical models to probe coronal activity and subsurface structures. Dr. Montiel has previously contributed to mission concepts for Titan with JPL’s Team X and studied tectonics on both icy and rocky bodies in the solar system.
email: nicholasjohn.montiel@unipd.it
website: https://deeptime.online
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicholas-Montiel
Gianmatteo Pedron is a master student at the University of Padova, recently earning his Bachelors of Science with his thesis “Analisi Strutture della Corona Isong (Venere)” as part of the HECATE project.
LinkedIn: https://it.linkedin.com/in/gianmatteo-pedron-5951a6376