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Ratings & reviews

5.05/4/2026

A true mentor who cares about success.

4.06/27/2025

Creates a welcoming and inclusive environment.

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About Harry

Harry McSween is Chancellor's Professor Emeritus of Planetary Geoscience in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he joined the faculty in 1977 and served for 39 years until his retirement in 2016. He has held leadership roles including Head of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences on two occasions and Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. McSween earned a B.S. in chemistry from The Citadel in 1967, an M.S. in geology from the University of Georgia in 1969, and a Ph.D. in geology from Harvard University in 1977. His research specializes in planetary petrology and geochemistry, with a focus on the petrology and cosmochemistry of meteorites, martian meteorites, asteroid thermal history and remote sensing, and petrogenesis of terrestrial igneous and metamorphic rocks. He has contributed to numerous NASA spacecraft missions, beginning with the Mars Pathfinder rover science team in 1997, followed by roles as co-investigator on Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, Phoenix lander, participating scientist on Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity, and OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission.