Sam is a Professor of Chemistry at Tufts University, an Affiliate Scientist at the NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a Visiting Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at Imperial College London. He received his B.S./M.S. from Cal State-San Diego in 1978 and a Ph.D/D.Sc. from Université de Genève in 1985. After post-doc fellowships at SUNY-Buffalo and Harvard University, he joined the faculty at Tufts in 1988. His research interests are in planetary science and astrobiology using the techniques of modern analytical chemistry, with a focus on the search for biomarkers for life on Mars and Enceladus.

He has co/authored over 115 top-tier publications and received over 35 grants from NASA, NSF, and EPA. Among other honors, he received the ACS-Kavli Award for Innovations in Chemistry; he is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Geological Society; Royal Society of Chemistry; and has received several NASA awards.

Neveda is a Staff Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. She also currently holds an appointment as a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Chemistry at Tufts University. She received her B.S. in Biomedical Science from Manchester Metropolitan University (UK), M.S. in Medical and Molecular Microbiology from the University of Manchester (UK), and her Ph.D. in Microbial Pathogenicity from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (UK). Neveda was an instructor at Endicott College (2016-18) and a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Chemistry Department at Tufts University (2018-23).

Her research interests are in understanding how bacteria can survive in extreme environments such those found on Mars and the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn (Europa and Enceladus), and what that would mean in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Bernadette is a Massachusetts native who enjoys the quiet calm of the Berkshires. Her research focuses on investigating the generation of chlorine dioxide gas in a simulated martian environment and its effects on macrocyclic structures using LC-MS and GC-MS analysis. She is also developing solid state ion selective electrodes for detecting important life-essential compounds on ocean worlds, such as Enceladus.

Bernadette spends most of her free time reading and hanging out with her cat, The Meow. She enjoys painting, solving 3D metal hand puzzles, walking in cold weather, and her favorite food is pizza without cheese.

Megan hails from Winfield, Missouri. Her area of research is focused on generating and examining fragmentation patterns of large biomarkers such as cholesterol under martian conditions, primarily using GC-MS as well as some LC-MS.

Megan spends her free time reading and socializing with close friends. Her favorite books are William Powell’s The Anarchist Cookbook, Emily Henry’s Happy Place, and Sir Isaac Newton’s Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica. She enjoys a sun-warmed car on a chilly day, bubble baths, glitter, light in the 380-450 nm range, and ice chips in a dirty martini.

Molly is from Rockport, Massachusetts. Presently, her research entails developing ion selective electrodes within a microfluidic array for detection and exploration of key habitability molecules within Enceladus’ plume. She also works on understanding the fragmentation patterns and pathways of biomarkers within a simulated martian environment.

Molly spends her free time on the tennis court or at the beach. Growing up amidst the coastal charm of Rockport, Molly has cultivated a deep affection for the ocean and its vibrant inhabitants. As another ardent reader of the Kounaves lab, you will always find Molly listening to a new audiobook.