Over the past several decades it has become increasingly clear that there may be multiple worlds in our solar system besides Earth that either once had or may still have environments capable of supporting microbial life as we know it. Our current research is focused on three aspects of the search for life in our solar system:

1. In the search for past or present life on Mars, our goal is to understand how biologically-produced molecules (biomarkers) are altered when exposed to solar UV irradiation in the presence of oxychlorines and their intermediate products, and if the resulting “fragmentation” patterns can be used, in conjunction with Molecular Assembly Theory, to identify the original biomarker and thus provide evidence for life on Mars. More>>

2. We are developing microfluidic electroanalytical instrumentation, based on the Phoenix Mars lander Wet Chemistry Lab, to determine: (a) the habitability of the subsurface oceans of Saturn's moon Enceladus by analyzing the ejected ice particles collected by transits through the plumes; and (b) the chemistry of the martian surface materials, both to understand their potential habitability for martian microbes, and their possible health effects on humans. More>>

3. The effects of the: oxidizing soil chemistry; intense UV irradiation; and hyperaridity; on bacterial survival and growth in the Atacama Desert and other extreme environments on Earth and Mars. More>>