
Astrobiology
About
Astrobiology is a vibrant field that focuses on the study of the origins, distribution and evolution of life in the universe.
Two of the eight interdisciplinary research teams selected by the NASA Astrobiology Program to inaugurate its Interdisciplinary Consortia for Interdisciplinary 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.
Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary field that combines astronomy, geology, biology and chemistry. At the University of Arizona, there are six academic departments that participate in the astrobiology program.
The University of Arizona offers one of the few astrobiology minor programs in the United States. Some of the questions we seek to answer include:
- How did life emerge?
- How did the first metabolic networks and organisms evolve?
- How did the translation machinery emerge and evolve?
- Can we provide insights into RNA world?
- Is life deterministic or repeatable?
- What is the likelihood that life comparable to our own has arisen elsewhere in the universe?
Astrobiology at the University of Arizona
The Department of Planetary Sciences is one of six departments participating in astrobiology research at UArizona. 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

Dániel Apai
Interim Associate Dean for Research, College of Science, Principal Investigator, Alien Earths, Professor

William Boynton
Professor Emeritus

Shane Byrne
Professor

Caitlin Griffith
Professor Emeritus

Virginia Gulick
Research Professor

Pierre Haenecour
Assistant Professor

Christopher Hamilton
Associate Professor

Dante Lauretta
Principal Investigator, OSIRIS-REx, Regents Professor

Renu Malhotra
Louise Foucar Marshall Science Research Professor, Regents Professor

Isamu Matsuyama
Professor

Alfred McEwen
Regents Professor

Ilaria Pascucci
Professor

Sukrit Ranjan
Assistant Professor

Peter Smith
Professor Emeritus

Roger Yelle
Professor

Tom Zega
Professor
Other Researchers
Astrobiology Researchers

Galen Bergsten
PTYS Graduate Student

David Cantillo
PTYS Graduate Student

Dingshan Deng
PTYS Graduate Student

Searra Foote
PTYS Graduate Student

Nathan Hadland
PTYS Graduate Student

Sarah E. Moran
Director's Postdoctoral Fellow

Michael Phillips
Researcher/Scientist

Arnaud Salvador
Postdoctoral Research Associate

Lucas Smith
PTYS Graduate Student