About

I grew up on my family’s fourth-generation farm in Filer, Idaho, and was the first in my family to leave the farm to pursue higher education. I completed my undergraduate studies at the College of Southern Idaho and Boise State University, earning a B.A. in Political Science and a B.S. in Physics and Astrophysics, with minors in Applied Mathematics and Criminal Justice. I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, working with Francis Nimmo and Myriam Telus.

Contact: nmcgregor@ucsc.edu

Research

In my doctoral research, I use mantle convection simulations to investigate Venus’s interior dynamics, assessing the planet’s true polar wander and using dynamic topography at Baltis Vallis and impact craters to probe mantle properties such as viscosity and convective vigor. In parallel, I conduct outgassing experiments on chondritic meteorites to measure volatile release and characterize residue mineralogy, providing insights into how the bulk composition of rocky exoplanets shapes the development of their secondary atmospheres.

View my CV

Papers

McGregor, N. J., Nimmo, F., Gillmann, C., Golabek, Louren¸co, D. L. (In prep). Rates of true polar wander on Venus driven by mantle convection. Geophys. Res. Lett.
McGregor, N. J., Thompson, M. A., and Telus, M. (In prep). Linking rocky exoplanetary atmospheres and interiors through meteorite outgassing. Nature Astronomy.
McGregor, N. J., Nimmo, F., Gillmann, C., Golabek, G. J., Plattner, A. M., and Conrad, J. W. (2025). Probing the viscosity of Venus’s mantle from dynamic topography at Baltis Vallis. J. Geophys. Res. Planets.

More on Google Scholar and ADS