Skip to content

About WHOI
A-Z WHOI Labs/Groups Listing

Team
- Internal
- External
Activities
Publications
Join
- Join as an Affiliate
- Join as a Member
Conduct
Jobs

Officers

ElizabethSpiers_Liz & JASON cropped

Elizabeth Spiers

Co-lead

WHOI - Postdoc, Dr. Spiers’ research interests are in quantifying and constraining the dynamic habitability of ocean worlds in our Solar System, such as Jupiter’s moon, Europa, and Saturn’s moon, Enceladus. Spiers’ work will improve understanding of the interior composition and dynamics of ocean worlds, informing and providing constraints for future missions, such as NASA’s Europa Clipper.

Katherine Dzurilla

Co-lead

Dr. Katherine Dzurilla is a postdoctoral fellow at JPL investigating biosignature detections and potential habitability on ocean worlds, such as Enceladus. Her research interests involve benchtop simulations of hydrothermal environments to observe various organic and elemental chemistry for prebiotic relevance. In addition to fundamental research, Dr. Dzurilla has participated in various mission and instrumental development projects, including as a Science Consultant for NASA’s Autonomous Robotics Research for Ocean Worlds Program and the Planetary Science Summer School (PSSS).

Tomoko Bell

Social & Conference Chair

I'm an assistant professor of biology at Newman University in Kansas.
I completed NASA Planetary Science Summer School in 2021 and currently investigate cave bacteria that thrive in high carbon dioxide in collaboration with University of Guam and Tufts University. Researching possible life on other planets is fascinating, and we hope to utilize our cave research as analogues for Mars cave environment. I’m also passionate about facilitating open science and increasing diversity in science community. I served as a subject matter expert for NASA TOPS in 2022 and hope to create harmonious environment among scientists.

Perianne Johnson

Social & Conference Chair

Nuri Park

Communications

Gabby Rizzo

Communications

Gabby is a PhD student at the University of Nebraska Lincoln in Microbiology. She is passionate about exploring the mysteries of the cosmos and the potential for life beyond Earth. Her current research interests entail discovering extant microbial life in the Martian subsurface, understanding early life on Earth, and investigating the potential habitability of our icy moons.

Team

Ines Belgacem

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

I am a planetary scientist focusing on studying icy surfaces of the solar system through spectrophotmetry. I am primarily interested in the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn. I worked on ESA's JUICE mission for 7 years studying the photometric response of the surfaces of Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. I very recently joined the Europa Clipper team as a project science affiliate. My main goal is to better understand the link between spectrophotometry and the microtexture of planetary surfaces.

Tristan Caro

University of Colorado, Boulder

I'm a microbiologist and geochemist studying microbial activity in energy-limited subsurface environments. I focus specifically on microbial life in serpentinizing environments, where water interacts with ultramafic rocks to generate abundant electron donors that can be utilized by chemoautotrophic microorganisms. To address questions of microbial activity and localization, I apply and develop stable isotope probing methodologies.

Jared Clance

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

I am a PhD student at the University of Tennessee studying microbial ecology in glacial environments. My research focuses on changes in microbial community structure between supraglacial and subglacial realms, microbial metabolism and metabolic interactions, and physiological and biochemical adaptations of microbes in polyextreme environments. I am currently working on projects in a glacio-volcanic system in a fumarole field at Mt. Meager, British Columbia, and in the Juneau Icefield in Alaska, with the goal of characterizing these systems as terrestrial analogue features for icy ocean worlds like Europa and Enceladus.

Samuel Courville

Samual Courville

Arizona State University

Samuel Courville is a PhD candidate at Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration. Samuel studies the interior evolution of ocean worlds. How does the temperature and composition of an ocean world's rocky interior change over time? And how does the changing rocky interior composition affect the evolution of the ocean?

Ellen Czaplinski

Ellen Czaplinski

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory/ California Institute of Technology

Dr. Ellen Czaplinski is a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at JPL using experimental techniques to examine ocean world chemistry and habitability. Specifically, she uses IR/Raman spectroscopy, XRD, and microscopy to characterize astrobiologically-relevant Titan co-crystals. Additionally, she studies amino acid irradiation and stability under Ceres conditions using RGA/high-vacuum techniques. Dr. Czaplinski is a Collaborator on Dragonfly, and has been involved in several mission concepts, as well as a Science Consultant for NASA’s Autonomous Robotics Research for Ocean Worlds Program. Dr. Czaplinski received her B.S. in Planetary Science (Purdue University, 2016) and a Ph.D. in Space and Planetary Sciences (University of Arkansas, 2021).

Charlie Detelich

Charlie Detelich

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

Charlie is currently studying surface processes on Europa using 3D geodynamical modeling to understand the topographic, compositional, thermal, and subsurface structure of double ridges under various hypothesized formation mechanisms. She also studies wind waves on Titan by coupling the University of Miami Wave Model (UMWM) and the Titan Global Climate Model (GCM). Charlie is also a graduate affiliate Europa Imaging System (EIS) of the Europa Clipper Mission and works to provide trajectory analysis products for the science team.

Paula do Vale Pereira

Paula doVale Pereira

Florida Institute of Technology

Dr. Paula do Vale Pereira is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on technology development for space exploration, mainly through the use of small spacecraft and probes for the exploration of Ocean Worlds, such as Europa and Enceladus. She has worked on the development, integration, testing, and operations of three spacecraft and on the development, testing, and modeling of melt probes for subsurface descent in the cryogenic vacuum ice found in icy moons in the outer solar system.

Bruno Cevallos Gil

Bruno Cevallos Gil

Universidad Científica del Sur

Marine Biologist and open water diver. Experience in remote sensing and blue carbon studies in MPAs. Trained in analytical techniques applied to the development of portable biosensors. Experience as consultant, analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on the value chains of the fishing and aquaculture sector in the Asia Pacific region (APEC). Participant of the 2023 cohort of the Global Mentorship Program of the International Federation of Biosafety Associations. Investigating the effect of gravity on germ cells (Universidad Científica del Sur). Also, interested in bio-inspired robotics and its potential for the gentle study of ocean worlds in the solar system.

00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190722160754159_COVER - Patrick Gray

Patrick C Gray

Duke University Marine Lab

Broadly I use satellites, drones, and in-situ optical techniques to understand the interplay of physics and ecology in the ocean. I'm also very interested in tools and research that will be relevant for Earth science and for exploring other bodies within our solar system.

I'm currently a postdoc working with Emmanuel Boss and Yoav Lehahn on marine biophysical interactions and ocean optics. I recently finished up my PhD with Dave Johnston in the Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab at the Duke University Marine Laboratory where I was a Future Investigator in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST).

Veronica Guerrero

Stone Aerospace / SUNFISH Inc

Veronica is a mechanical engineer at Stone Aerospace and SUNFISH Inc, working with technologies that converge autonomous robotics, underwater environments, ice-penetrating systems, and planetary science. She has worked on the creation of the Europa Tower, a state-of-the-art cryochamber that simulates Europa's surface conditions, and the construction of THOR, a full-scale ice-penetrating vehicle for ocean world exploration.
During her master’s in mechanical engineering, she developed the mechanical design of a prototype puck for through-ice communication as a proposed concept for an ocean world relay communication system. Her work focuses on developing innovative engineering solutions that extend the frontiers of exploration.

Ashley M. Hanna

Ashley M. Hanna

University of Maryland, CP / NASA GSFC

I am a 3rd year Ph.D. student working with Dr. Ricardo Arevalo. I am also a student associate on the Dragonfly Mission. My research focuses on the development and optimization of methods for detection of biosignatures and prebiotic molecules via Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry (LDMS) for space flight instruments.I am a 3rd year Ph.D. student working with Dr. Ricardo Arevalo. I am also a student associate on the Dragonfly Mission. My research focuses on the development and optimization of methods for detection of biosignatures and prebiotic molecules via Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry (LDMS) for space flight instruments.

_DSC0646 - Rachel Harris

Rachel Harris

Harvard University

My research explores the biogeochemistry and ecophysiology of SLiMEs – Subsurface Lithoautotrophic Microbial Ecosystems – as a proxy for investigating the astrobiological potential of other worlds. My work often combines multiple tools, including tracer experiments, imaging, 'omics, and metabolic modeling, to explore the habitable limits of life and the metabolic strategies it employs to survive under extreme conditions. When I'm not working with SLiMEs, methanogenic archaea (methane-producing microbes) are my favorite model organisms for astrobiology-related research. Ultimately, I want to use my expertise to answer one question: are we alone in the Universe?

Emily K. Hawkins

Loyola Marymount University

Dr. Emily Hawkins is an assistant professor of physics at Loyola Marymount University. Her current research focuses on conducting analog laboratory experiments of the subsurface ocean dynamics of icy moons. She completed her Ph.D. in 2020 at UCLA studying fluid turbulence relevant to planetary magnetic field generation. While at UCLA, she co-founded a society for promoting equity in the geosciences, and she continues to mentor underrepresented students in her research group at LMU. Emily's non-academic passions include dancing, rock climbing, and spending time outdoors.

AltaHowellsOcean

Alta Howells

Blue Marble Space Institute of Science

Dr. Howells is a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow at NASA Ames. Her primary goal is to aid life detection efforts by developing models that can estimate biological distribution, activity, and biomass production in water-rock hosted ecosystems on Earth and other ocean worlds. To better approximate estimations of biological activity and biomass production elsewhere, she is characterizing growth parameters of Earth methanogens under conditions that reflect other ocean worlds, such as Europa and Enceladus.

Kristin Johnson-Finn

Earth-Life Science Institute; Tokyo Institute of Technology

I am currently an Assistant Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. My research focuses on the interactions of organic compounds with different minerals to form additional reaction pathways, mostly at hydrothermal conditions. I pursue these questions with an expanding array of experimental (hydrothermal, electrochemical, VSM, etc.) and thermodynamic techniques. I am interested in abiotic and potentially prebiotic reactions available through organic / mineral interactions in the icy moon environments of Europa and Enceladus. I want to unravel the abiotic signals from the biotic signals in these environments in the search for life on ocean worlds.

Sarah-Lamm_reduce - Sarah Lamm

Sarah Lamm

University of Kansas

I am a Geology PhD student at the University of Kansas, focusing my research on analog materials for Mars and Ocean Worlds using Raman spectroscopy. I obtained my master’s degree from Kansas State University in 2021. In 2018, I graduated from Kansas State University as a triple major with Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry, Geology, and Geography. During undergrad, I was a member of the ChemCam team on the Mars Curiosity Rover and spent three summers at Los Alamos National Laboratory. During my PhD and M.S., I interned at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the Origins and Habitability Lab.

Maxwell Craddock

Mawell Lowell Craddock

Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology

I'm interested in the chemical cycling of ocean worlds and the potential of freeze/thaw cycles!

Jordan McKaig

Communications Chair

Jordan is a PhD Candidate at Georgia Tech. Her research focuses on microbial habitability and biosignature detection in astrobiologically-relevant environments, particularly under hypersaline conditions. In her work, she utilizes nanopore instrumentation to detect and characterize biomolecules.

marusiak_headshot2 - Angela Marusiak

Angela Marusiak

Caltech, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

I study planetary seismology to better understand planetary processes and interiors. I develop flight seismometers and also model seismic waveforms and interior structures.

Mariam Naseem </br> University of Maryland, College Park

Mariam Naseem

Co-Lead

University of Maryland, College Park. PhD Student. Mariam Naseem is a Polar & Planetary Science Researcher and Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland, College Park where she investigates geological processes on icy ocean worlds through terrestrial analogs.

Nicole North

Ohio State University

Nicole North is a 5th year graduate student at Ohio State University in Dr Heather Allen's research group. She studies complex aqueous environments using a combination of vibrational spectroscopy (IR and Raman) and mass spectrometry through the lens of using machine learning approaches to do so.

Laura E. Rodriguez

Lead

Staff Scientist
Lunar and Planetary Institute

Universities Space Research Association

Dr. Laura Rodriguez is an organic geochemist and data scientist aiming to understand how the environment drives the chemical evolution of organic matter and whether origin of life events can occur on ocean worlds. Specifically, she studies the chemical evolution of CHONPS as it relates to the formation of genetic precursors. In parallel, she is developing data science methodologies to characterize the organic-geochemistry of planetary samples using mission-ready techniques including ChemCam as an Mars Science Laboratory participating scientist. Dr. Rodriguez received her B.S. in Geochemistry (Rice University, 2013) and a dual-title Ph.D. in Geosciences and Astrobiology (Penn State, 2019).

Kirt Robinson </br>
Arizona State University

Kirtland J Robinson

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Kirt's research on icy ocean worlds involves developing geochemical tracers that can be used to subsurface aqueous conditions to ultimately assess habitability. More specifically, he targets organic compounds likely to be transported from interiors of icy ocean worlds to their exteriors where sampling via spacecraft is more feasible. Kirt is an organic geochemist by training and also performs experiments with relevance to prebiotic chemistry, biosignature detection, and sustainable “green” chemistry.

Karolina Osorio

Karolina Osorio

NASA

Space Psychologist - Human Factors Engineering at NASA

Vishaal Singh </br> Columbia University

Vishaal Singh

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University

I am a planetary geologist broadly interested in characterization of dynamic ice shells – to improve our understanding of the surface physics and chemistry of ocean worlds, asteroids & comets, and identify the limits of our diagnostic capabilities. My work involves experimental science techniques such as spectroscopy, ice mechanics, and radiative transfer modeling to unravel surface crystallinity, composition & age of Jovian moons, and the feasibility of subduction in their ice shells. At LDEO, I am developing communication technologies and instruments for exploration of Europa’s ice shell and sub-surface ocean with ice penetrating robots.

Kevin Trinh

Co-Lead & Social Chair

Kevin Trinh is a PhD candidate at Arizona State University. His primary research interest is the formation, evolution, and diversity of solar system moons. He is interested in large-scale processes (e.g., ocean formation, metal core formation, seafloor volcanism) and dynamic habitability. His website is www.kevintrinh.space

Natalie Wolfenbarger

Stanford University

Natalie Wolfenbarger received her PhD in Geophysics at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. She is an postdoctoral affiliate member of the Europa Clipper science team working on REASON, an ice-penetrating radar designed to peer through Europa’s ice shell. Her research aims to understand how we can use Earth ice to help interpret future data collected by REASON. Her studies of analog environments for Europa have led her to both the Arctic and Antarctica, where she worked with a team of researchers to conduct aerogeophysical surveys of sites including Devon Ice Cap and Thwaites Glacier.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is dedicated to advancing knowledge of the ocean and its connection with the Earth system through a sustained commitment to excellence in science, engineering, and education, and to the application of this knowledge to problems facing society. Learn more »

WHOI Research

Areas of Research
Departments & Centers
Ships & Technology
Scientific Services

WHOI Academics

Graduate
Postdoctorate
Undergraduate
Accreditation

© 2025 Network for Ocean Worlds. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Login
General Information: information@whoi.edu or (508) 548-1400 | Website inquiries: webdev@whoi.edu | Media inquiries: media@whoi.edu