Biography

Rachael D. Mueller is currently contributing to the evolving science of ocean-ice-shelf interactions through research on the influence of tides and winds on sub-ice-shelf cavity circulation. Her Ph.D. at the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences (COAS) in Oregon State University was originally funded through a NASA fellowship and is currently funded by a NASA grant to Dr. Laurie Padman, with joint supervion from both Drs. Laurie Padman and Dudley Chelton. Her publication on the influence of tides and topography on the distribution of ice shelf basal melt of the Larsen-C Ice Shelf is in review at the Journal of Geophysical Research. Mueller's interest in the influence of winds on ice-shelf basal melt, combined with the need for more wind forcing validation studies, motivates her current research on the use of QuikSCAT radar scatterometry to help validate model predictions of surface atmospheric wind forcing of the oceans around Antarctica.

Mueller enjoys a variety of roles in addition to research, including speaking and writing to diverse audiences. She has been awarded best student speaker as well as honorable mention for best poster at two separate workshops, and she has an editorial contribution to Science that was accepted for online publication in December 2010. She also wrote a science blog during an Antarctic research cruise in 2007, which was an experience that continues to inspire her research. As a mother, Mueller has learned the importance of a balanced lifestyle, and she relies on an established Qi Gong practice to effectively manage her various roles with ease and enjoyment.

Childhood adventures in sailing and backpacking helped to nurture Mueller's interest in observational science. Her appreciation of mathematics as a universal language (as well as Spanish-English dictionaries) deepened when she studied in a Basque-Spanish school at age fourteen with very little understanding of Spanish. Raised in Boulder, CO, Mueller continued to engage her interests in the natural world and science as she completed her B.A. in Mathematics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She pursued education with the Sea Education Association Semester and employment with the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research to independently cultivate her interests in oceanography.

Mueller plans to finish her Ph.D. in 2012 and will continue her research in ocean-atmosphere-ice-shelf interactions while strengthening her abilities to contribute to society as communicator, collaborator, scientist, mother and member of both scientific and non-scientific communities.