About Me

Though most Geologists study the Earth, my interests lie elsewhere. Growing up, I was fascinated by the outer space. As an undergraduate student at Tulane University I discovered Geology – the best discipline of all sciences! After working for a few years in environmental consulting , I returned to graduate school at the University of Tennessee, where I combined my interests in the solar system and geology to study planetary geology. My research focuses on the mineralogy and chemistry of primitive meteorites and asteroids. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, I worked as an Assistant Professor at Illinois State University for almost six years. I’ve been an Assistant Professor in the Geology Department at Colby College since January of 2014. I received tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor in January of 2019.

Read my profile on the Women in Planetary Science blog

My biggest claim to fame is that I have an asteroid named after me. You can search for asteroid (8999) tashadunn on the Minor Planet Center website.

(8999) tashadunn

Link to pdf