Last updated: April 2026

Charlotte Minsky

Education

PhD, Harvard University (in progress, completion expected 2027) 2022
Environmental Science and Engineering

MPhil, University of Cambridge 2021-2022
History and Philosophy of Science

BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2016-2020
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Humanities and Engineering in history and computer science

Publications and Presentations

Refereed Publications

Minsky, C., Wordsworth R., Johnston, D.T. & Knoll, A. H. (2026). Repeated Snowball-hothouse cycles within the Neoproterozoic Sturtian Glacation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Minsky,C., Wordsworth, R., Macdonald, F., & Knoll, A.H. (2025). Initiation of Snowball Earth from silicate weathering of a large igneous province in the Neoproterozoic. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

Guerrero, N.A., & 105 authors incl. Minsky, C. (2021). The TESS Objects of Interest Catalog from the TESS Prime Mission. Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series.

Other Publications

Wordsworth, R., and Minsky, C. (2026). Geochemical climate regulation beyond Earth. Elements.

Conferences

(Poster) Minsky, C., Wordsworth, R., & Johnston D. "Supraglacial biological niches as a solution to the Sturtian oxygenation problem." European Geophysical Union General Assembly, 2025.

(Oral) Minsky, C., Wordsworth, R., Johnston, D.T. "Explaining the duration and oxygenation of the Sturtian Snowball Earth." Goldschmidt, 2025.

(Poster, remote) Minsky, C., Wordsworth, R., & Johnston D. "Supraglacial biological niches as a solution to the Sturtian oxygenation problem." European Geophysical Union General Assembly, 2025.

(Oral) Minsky, C., Wordsworth, R., Macdonald, F., & Knoll, A.H., "Initiation of Snowball Earth from silicate weathering of a large igneous province in the Neoproterozoic." Astrobiology Science Conference, 2024.

(Poster) Minsky, C., Wordsworth, R., Macdonald, F., & Knoll, A.H., "Modeling the effect of the Franklin Large Igneous Province on atmospheric CO2 and Snowball Earth initiation." American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting, 2023.

(Poster)Minsky, C., et al. “Using the Rossiter-McLaughlin Effect to Probe the Atmosphere of HD 189733 b.” American Astronomical Society 235th Meeting, 2020.

(Poster)Minsky, C., et al. “Assessing Bias in the Exoplanetary Atmospheric Retrieval Process.” Emerging Researchers in Exoplanet Science V, 2019.

Professional Experience

Co-lead, COVID Racial Data Tracker 2020-2021
The COVID Tracking Project

Teaching

Teaching Fellow, Harvard University
     Space Science and Engineering2026
     Worlds Beyond: The Past, Present and Future of Our Solar System2025
     Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering2024

Teaching Assistant, Boston University Prison Education Program at MCI-Norfolk
     Introduction to Astronomy2017

Fellowships, Awards, and Merit Societies

Gates Cambridge Scholarship2020, deferred to 2021
Phi Beta Kappa2020
MIT Karl Taylor Compton Prize2020
MIT History Undergraduate Writing Prize2020
MIT Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Achievement Award2019

Institutional Service

CO-organizer, Harvard Earth's Surface in Deep Time journal club2023-2024
MIT Academic Policies and Regulations Team (COVID-19 response)2020
MIT Faculty Policy Committee2019-2020
MIT College of Computing Advisory Committee2019-2020
MIT Digital Humanities Steering Committee2019-2020
MIT Subcommittee on the Humanities Arts, and Social Sciences Requirement2019-2020

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