Jon Pelletier was awarded a Ph.D. in geological sciences from Cornell University in 1997. Following two years at the California Institute of Technology as the O.K. Earl Prize Postdoctoral Scholar, he was made an associate professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona where he teaches geomorphology. Dr Pelletier's research involves mathematical modeling of a wide range of surface processes on Earth and other planets, including the evolution of mountain belts, the transport and deposition of dust in arid environments, and fluvial and glacial processes on Mars.