Dr. Andrea (Andi) Adams is a planetary geodynamicist specializing in the tectonic evolution of rocky planets. She holds a joint postdoctoral position at both NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Caltech Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences. She is a scientific collaborator for NASA’s VERITAS Venus mission.

Her current research focuses on understanding the link between surface and interior processes to better understand Venus' tectonic evolution. She uses data-based observations (topography, structural geology, gravity, and geochemistry) to inform her numerical models of regional-scale lithospheric recycling on Venus. She is interested in subduction and delamination dynamics on Venus and the surface expression of these mechanisms (e.g. Venusian coronae and chasmata). When not studying Venus, she is also collaborating with the US Geological Survey on a joint seismic-electromagnetic study of the Cascadia subduction system on Earth.

She enjoys spending time with her dog, Colby, as well as hiking, camping, and rock climbing around southern California with her partner, Michael.

Ph.D., Earth Sciences/Geophysics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego

M.S., Experimental Geosciences at Bavarian Geoinstitut (BGI) at Universität Bayreuth, Germany

B.S., Mechanical Engineering at The Ohio State University

• Origins of tectono-magmatic structures on Venus (e.g. coronae, chasma rift zones, etc.)
• Delamination and subduction dynamics on Venus and Earth
• Basalt phase equilibria and thermodynamics at Venusian P-T-fO2 conditions
• Data-assimilative geodynamics; multi-dataset integration and model calibration from gravity and topography
• Finite difference/finite volume modeling of tectonic processes using high performance computing (HPC) tools

• Planetary Science  | Planetary Interiors
• Planetary Science  | Planetary Geology, Including Surface Chemistry, Regolith Properties, And Space Weathering

• Geodynamics  
• Tectonics  
• Venus  

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NPP Postdoctoral Fellow (Present)

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, Graduate Research Assistant (2017-2024)

UC San Diego, Graduate Teaching Assistant (2018-2020)

Green Geophysics, Co-Chief Field Technician (2017)

U.S. Geological Survey, Field Assistant (2015, 2017)

Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG), Science Steering Committee, Early Career Representative (present)

Adams, A. C., Smrekar, S. E., Gurnis, M. C., Stegman, D. R., Tackley, P. J. (in prep). From Artemis Corona to Derceto Plateau: surface expressions of peel-back delamination on Venus.

Adams, A. C., Smrekar, S. E., Gurnis, M. C., Stegman, D. R., Tackley, P. J. (in prep). Three-dimensional modeling of corona formation from plume-rift interactions on Venus.

Peacock, J., Adams, A., Bedrosian, P. (in prep). Slab fragmentation in Cascadia and the origin of the Nevada Cylinder.

Kerr, M. C., Stegman, D. R., Smrekar, S. E., Adams, A. C. (2025). The glass-ceiling convective regime and the origin and diversity of coronae on Venus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(38), e2504491122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2504491122.

Adams, A. C. (2023). Modeling Delamination on Venus (doctoral dissertation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego)

Adams, A. C., Stegman, D. R., Mohammadzadeh, H., Smrekar, S. E., Tackley, P. J. (2023). Plume-induced delamination initiated at rift zones on Venus. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 128(10), e2023JE007879. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JE007879

Adams, A. C., Stegman, D. R., Smrekar, S. E., Tackley, P. J. (2022). Regional-scale lithospheric recycling on Venus via peel-back delamination. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 127(10), e2022JE007460. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JE007460