I will defend my Ph.D. in Spring 2027 and am currently seeking postdoctoral opportunities.

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Contact: nmcgregor@ucsc.edu

Research

Research Overview
I study the origin and evolution of rocky bodies using a combination of modeling and laboratory experiments. My work links interior processes to observable surface and atmospheric signatures across Solar System bodies and rocky exoplanets. I am particularly interested in interdisciplinary research that bridges planetary science and astrophysics, using geochemical constraints to investigate how rocky bodies form and evolve.

Current Research

• Venus interior dynamics. Mantle convection simulations to constrain viscosity, convective vigor, and true polar wander using dynamic topography.
• Meteorite outgassing and exoplanet atmospheres. Experimental constraints on volatile release and redox evolution to understand how bulk composition shapes secondary atmospheres.

Research Interests

• Experimental petrology, aqueous and thermochemical modeling, and mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic analyses of extraterrestrial samples.
• Isotopic tracers of processes in rocky bodies, including differentiation, outgassing, mass loss, and volatile partitioning and fractionation.
• Geochemistry of worlds beyond the Solar System, including exo-Venuses and polluted white dwarfs.

Publications

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.

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About me

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.