JohnPaul Sleiman
Join us for a coffee hour with JohnPaul on September 25th, 2025, 11am EST. Register here.
Tell us about yourself:
I am JohnPaul Sleiman, a PhD candidate at the University of Rochester studying under Rachel Glade. I was born and raised in Greenville, SC, and I went to Furman University, where I double majored in Physics and Geology. I have two passions: science communication and rocks.
I found geology during my freshman year when my roommate and I took a cross-country road trip over spring break. We visited sites out west, and I fell in love with the landscape. I wanted to know how all landscapes form. After taking more classes and leaning into my strengths, I found geomorphology, where I can use both physics and geology together.
My passion for science communication comes from my time on my high school speech and debate team, and then debate in college. It led me to become an AGU Local Science Partner and a JPL Solar System Ambassador, where I do outreach and work on science policy. These roles let me share research with lawmakers, students, and the public, and help inspire others to do research too.
What is your research about?
Geomorphology is broad and interdisciplinary. When trying to decide what to research, I wanted a project that included Mars, well, because it is Mars. This led me to study solifluction, which makes lobe-like patterns on the ground in cold regions on Earth. Similar patterns show up on Mars. So my research became determining whether the Martian patterns come from the same process, and then learning how they formed. We believe there is an underlying environmental control on these patterns, shaped by factors like soil mechanics, ground ice, and slope. Currently, I am using remote sensing techniques to constrain these parameters before running lab experiments in a walk-in climate chamber to mimic these conditions.
What excites you about your research?
What excites me most are two things. First, my work is not abstract. Hillslopes are things you can point to. It is kind of fun to look off the side of the road or out the window of a plane and say, “I study that.” Second, I get to talk with people about it, students, communities, and lawmakers. Sharing why it matters is a big part of why I do it.
It's exciting that studying hillslopes in cold places helps us learn about hillslopes everywhere else. Understanding the rules of movement in one place can really help us in other places that could be more complicated or harder to study like Mars.
What broader importance does your research have for society?
Thawing ground can harm roads, pipes, buildings, and services. Slope failures can cut off towns and raise costs. My academic goal is to link slope failure to ground temperature changes and freeze–thaw cycles. With that link, we can spot places at higher risk as seasons shift. Even though my work is still in its early stages, I aim to turn temperature and soil data into simple rules and checklists. These can help planners and engineers choose safer sites, pick better designs, and plan maintenance or preservation. Better forecasts mean fewer surprises and lower costs for communities.
What inspired you to pursue a career in Earth Science?
It started with a spring break road trip my freshman year. I have always liked space and nature, but seeing big landscapes in person made Earth science click. I wanted to know how those shapes formed. Earth science lets me use models, data, and math together. I like that the same simple physical rules show up in many places, on Earth and on Mars. The rules seem “basic,” but real life is complex.
What are you looking to do after you complete your PhD or postdoc?
After my PhD, I plan to work in science policy and communication at the state or federal level. I want to help lawmakers and the public use good science. My goal is to explain clear practices and limits across fields; Earth science, medicine, physics, computing, and more. Lawmakers write for the world we live in now, so they need solid facts. I want to brief staff, write plain-language notes, and build simple tools that make data useful. I also want to help voters learn the basics so they can ask better questions and speak up.
Given unlimited funding and access to resources, what is your dream project that you would pursue?
If I had unlimited funding, I would pick one project based on where I am in my career.
As a researcher: I would build a 6 m × 6 m walk-in climate and weather chamber for hillslope tests. I would control temperature, wind, rain, snow, dust, fire, and pressure so I could also mimic Mars or anywhere on Earth's surface. I would add simple sensors for temperature, water, pressure, strain, and movement, and watch how the slope changes in real time. The goal is clear rules that link forcing to slope change.
In science policy: I would build a public “science to action” site. You type in your town and get plain explainers on local issues (water, landslides, dark skies, air), the laws that apply, who represents you, and how to contact them. It would include short trainings for schools and community groups and simple tools to share photos and data. The goal is to help people understand the science, see the rules, and speak up. This is actually something I'm working on now, so stay tuned!!!
What else do you do? Any hobbies or interests outside of work?
When I can, I do astrophotography. I started in undergrad while helping a senior physics student with his research, and I have kept at it since. I love it, but staying up all night is hard during the semester, so I do more of it on breaks. So my daytime hobbies would be woodworking and working on cars. I spend time on my ’99 4Runner, which was built on my birthday, so it feels like a small bond.
Find out more about JohnPaul 's work here: https://jpfsleiman.github.io
Email: sleiman.johnpaul@gmail.com