Astrobiology – NASA defines astrobiology as the scientific study of the origins, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe. Though there are many approaches to improving our knowledge about these fields of inquiry, my efforts include: 

• studying analog environments on Earth (continental and marine deep biospheres, hydrothermal systems, caves, and other systems characterized by physiochemical conditions that might be relevant to other planetary bodies)

• quantification of energy fluxes that can sustain life under a wide variety of conditions on Europa, Mars, Titan, Enceladus and beyond 

• protometabolic chemistry (experiments and energy calculations)