An up and coming Ph.D. student in Planetary Geophysics with a passion for all things ice, rocks, science communication & space.
about me
Hello and welcome!
​
My name is Chimira Andres ("Chimira" is pronounced like "Shakira" but with an "m"). Since I was 5 years old, becoming either an astronaut or a professional contemporary ballet dancer have been absolute dreams of mine. I am a first-generation Filipino-Canadian Ph.D. student at York University, Canada in the Lassonde School of Engineering and Université de Nantes, France in the Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences studying space glaciers (i.e. ice on Earth, Mars, Pluto and more), while also pursuing dance as a career – because why not both?
Establishing a career in Earth and planetary science has been my goal since the final year of my undergraduate degree at McMaster University. I received my H.B.Sc degree in Integrated Science (iSci) specializing in Earth and Environmental Science under the supervision and mentorship of Dr. Carolyn Eyles and Dr. John Maclachlan. As an undergraduate student, I had the opportunity to conduct fieldwork and work on several research projects in interdisciplinary fields including glaciology, remote sensing, planetary exploration and science literacy while in Hamilton, Iceland, Kentucky, Perú, and elsewhere! Moving forward, I quickly realized my passion for teaching and learning and hoped to combine my interests in these disciplines in order to accurately communicate science AND the arts (S.T.E.A.M. Education) not only to fellow scientists but to the general public.
I finished my M.Sc. at the Western University in Geophysics with a collaborative specialization in Planetary Science, under the supervision of Dr. Gordon Osinski. My research focused on planetary geology, glacial/periglacial landscape evolution, and landsystem analysis. Then, I was lucky to continue working towards my passion in space with the European Space Agency (ESA) at ESTEC, Netherlands before I started my Ph.D.
​
When I'm not learning about space rocks and glaciers, I enjoy teaching and choreographing for professional dance studios as well as being outdoors. I'm currently part of the teaching faculty at the School of Cadence Ballet. If I'm not in my research lab or the dance studio, you can find me hiking, camping, cuddling with my cat, and baking as my go-to hobbies!
