Kenneth A. Farley
California Institute of Technology
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Primary Section: 15, Geology Membership Type:
Member
(elected 2013)
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Biosketch
Ken Farley is the W.M. Keck Foundation Professor of Geochemistry in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology. His research centers on development and application of geochemistry techniques, especially involving isotopes of the noble gases, to a wide range of terrestrial and solar system questions. Specific areas of interest include geochronology of both Earth and Mars, the geochemical evolution of the Earth, and the behavior of noble gases in minerals. He is currently Project Scientist for the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Yale University in 1986 and a doctorate in Earth Science from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, in 1991. He began his professorial career at Caltech in 1993.
Research Interests
My research centers on development and application of geochemistry techniques, especially involving isotopes of the noble gases, to a wide range of terrestrial and solar system questions. Specific areas of interest include geochronology of both Earth and Mars, the geochemical evolution of the Earth, and the behavior of noble gases in minerals. In addition to operating a mass spectrometry laboratory on campus, I am involved in Mars rover exploration, both as participating scientist on the Mars Science Laboratory mission, and Project Scientist for the Mars 2020 mission.
