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Astrobiology
About
Astrobiology is a vibrant, interdisciplinary field that focuses on the study of the origins, distribution and evolution of life in the universe. The Arizona Astrobiology Center (AABC) brings together researchers from across campus to serve as a hub for diverse scientific endeavors, providing bold and transformative dialogue to make astrobiology discoveries relevant to the experiences of all people on Earth.
In addition to the strengths of AABC, UArizona is home to two of the eight interdisciplinary research teams selected by the NASA Astrobiology Program to inaugurate its Interdisciplinary Consortia for Astrobiology Research program are located at the University of Arizona. Led by Dániel Apai, the teams were selected from a pool of more than 40 proposals. The breadth and depth of the research of these teams spans the spectrum of astrobiology research, from cosmic origins to planetary system formation, origins and evolution of life, and the search for life beyond Earth.
UArizona offers both undergraduate and graduate minors in Astrobiology.
Astrobiology at the University of Arizona
Researchers and students benefit from a long campus history of interdisciplinary collaboration drawing from astronomy, planetary sciences, chemistry, geo- and biological sciences and early engagement with pioneering NASA astrobiology nodes.
Faculty
Astrobiology Faculty
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Dániel Apai
Interim Associate Dean for Research, College of Science, Principal Investigator, Alien Earths, Professor
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William Boynton
Professor Emeritus
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Shane Byrne
Professor
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Caitlin Griffith
Professor Emeritus
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Virginia Gulick
Research Professor
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Pierre Haenecour
Assistant Professor
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Christopher Hamilton
Associate Professor
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Dante Lauretta
Director, Arizona Astrobiology Center, Principal Investigator, OSIRIS-REx, Regents Professor
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Renu Malhotra
Louise Foucar Marshall Science Research Professor, Regents Professor
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Isamu Matsuyama
Professor
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Alfred McEwen
Regents Professor
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Ilaria Pascucci
Professor
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Sukrit Ranjan
Assistant Professor
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Peter Smith
Professor Emeritus
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Roger Yelle
Professor
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Tom Zega
Professor
Other Researchers
Astrobiology Researchers
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Galen Bergsten
PTYS Graduate Student
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Jacob Bernal
DCC Postdoctoral Research Associate (Zega), NSF Postdoctoral Fellow
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David Cantillo
PTYS Graduate Student
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Dingshan Deng
PTYS Graduate Student
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Searra Foote
PTYS Graduate Student
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Ruby Fulford
PTYS Graduate Student
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Kiki Gonglewski
PTYS Graduate Student
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Nathan Hadland
PTYS Graduate Student
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Sarah E. Moran
Director's Postdoctoral Fellow
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Michael Phillips
Researcher/Scientist
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Lily Robinthal
PTYS Graduate Student
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Arnaud Salvador
Postdoctoral Research Associate
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Christina Singh
Image Analyst, PTYS Graduate Student
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Lucas Smith
PTYS Graduate Student
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Kayla Smith
PTYS Graduate Student
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Jingyu Wang
PTYS Graduate Student