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Dr Rachelle Kernen

Energy Geoscientist

The University of Adelaide

Did you know geoscientists can use their knowledge about the Earth to reduce society’s energy footprint and greenhouse gas emissions? By doing so, we have the potential to reduce the frequency of extreme weather events associated with climate change.

Dr Rachelle Kernen collects data from rocks that form the ranges in Australia which is used to build her knowledge about the Earth. This knowledge about the rocks at Earth’s surface is used to predict rock characteristics deep in the ground. This is important for finding critical minerals needed to build solar panels and wind farms, storing CO2 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and finding and storing H2 to use as clean fuel, all of which help us fight climate change.

Since 2017, Rachelle has volunteered a signification amount of her time serving on multiple Australian and international non-profit boards that support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the geosciences. Those boards include the Women in Earth and Environmental Sciences in Australasia, Association for Women in Geosciences, American Association of Petroleum Geologists Women’s Network, and Geolatinas. Rachelle is currently an Australian permanent resident and is a Researcher at the University of Adelaide, Australian School of Petroleum and Energy Resources.

Dr Rachelle Kernen is a Superstar of STEM.