I will defend my Ph.D. in Spring 2027 and am seeking postdoctoral positions beginning Summer or Fall 2027.

View my CV

Contact: nmcgregor@ucsc.edu

Research

Research Overview
I am interested in the chemical, isotopic, and elemental evolution of the early Solar System, as well as ongoing geochemical processes in Solar System bodies and beyond. I am especially interested in interdisciplinary research spanning planetary science, cosmochemistry, and astrophysics, and in integrating experimental and modeling methods.

Current Research

• Venus interior dynamics. StagYY mantle convection simulations to constrain mantle viscosity, convective vigor, and rates of true polar wander on Venus, informed by Magellan gravity data.
• Meteorite outgassing and exoplanet atmospheres. Heating experiments on chondritic meteorites to constrain outgassed species and redox evolution, feeding into interior–atmosphere models that link bulk compositions of terrestrial exoplanets to observable secondary atmospheres.

Research Interests

• Experimental petrology
• Geochemistry of worlds across the Solar System and beyond
• Mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic analysis of extraterrestrial materials
• Thermal evolution, thermodynamic, and aqueous geochemical modeling
• Isotopic tracers of processes in Solar System bodies, including differentiation, outgassing, mass loss, and volatile partitioning and fractionation

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.