Ayla Von Essen

Ayla’s love for science was fostered at a young age, from impressionable trips to museums across the US with her mom to the exploration of New York’s national parks with her dad. This love for science and the pursuit of understanding the natural world around her has followed Ayla as she’s studied and taught around the world.

She completed both a Bachelors of Science, majoring in Physics and Earth & Environment, and a Master’s in Earth Structure and Dynamics from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. She’s an impassioned and enthusiastic educator with a deep appreciation for data visualization in science communication. She finds making theories tangible and accessible for students of all ages invaluable.

Ayla is a physical geologist currently researching the resilience of clay materials to extreme environments and their link to the origins of life in the universe.