About Us

Agnostic Life Finding Association – Mars

 

ALFA Mars consists of a group of scientists, engineers, science communicators and volunteers aiming to determine whether indigenous life is present today on Mars before humans walk on its surface. 

ALFA Mars is administered by Agnostic Life Finding Association Inc., 501(c)(3) registered in Florida.

 

MEET THE ALFA MARS TEAM

Jan Špaček
Jan is the CEO of Agnostic Life Finding Association Inc. Jan is an inventor of ALF (Agnostic Life Finder) and founder of the ALFA Mars project. Senior research scientist at Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, molecular biologist, and analytical (electro)chemist.
Read Full Bio
Chris Temby
Chris is the President of Agnostic Life Finding Association Inc., (ALFA). Chris Temby received his Bachelors of Science degree in Physics, with minors in Astronomy and Planetary Sciences and History, from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is an aspiring astrobiologist and astronaut, and currently a private pilot and scuba divemaster. He plans to pursue a PhD studying Martian planetary conditions and relevant aerospace engineering.
Read Full Bio
Gabby Rizzo
Gabby Rizzo is the Vice President and Treasurer of Agnostic Life Finding Association Inc., (ALFA). She is a first year PhD student in the Genetics, Cellular & Molecular Biology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As an aspiring astrobiologist, she is studying microorganisms in the subsurface and their environments, motivating the search for life beyond Earth. 
Read Full Bio
Courtney Pasternak
Courtney is a Junior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University studying Aerospace Engineering with a concentration in Astronautics, while minoring in computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM).
Read Full Bio
Sylvia Olewinski
Sylvia is an Astrobiology graduate from the University of London, Birkbeck, from where she had also received her Bachelor’s of Science (Hons) in Planetary Science and Astronomy. Sylvia’s research interests include early life and evolution, with particular focus on the interactions between the biosphere and geosphere in deep time. She plans to pursue a PhD studying geobiology, with focus on ancient carbon-rich and silica-rich stromatolite samples alongside their modern equivalents.
Read Full Bio
Annamaria Paone
Annamaria Paone is an Astrobiology graduate from the University of London, Birkbeck. Her thesis involved the investigation of the photosynthetic efficiency between Earth-sized planets around M-type and G-type stars. Annamaria’s previous work in ecology has helped in moving towards the studies of planetary habitability and origin of life.
Read Full Bio
Joshua Khan
Joshua Khan is an Astrobiology graduate from the University of London, Birkbeck. His thesis involved assessing biosignature preservation potential and rover traverses for the European Space Agency’s upcoming ExoMars mission. Joshua’s previous work in genetics & genomic technologies has also allowed for a useful passage into related studies of prokaryotes and archaea, for extremophile and origin of life research.
Read Full Bio
Holden Alpern
Holden Alpern is a sophomore at the University of Florida studying Geology, looking to double major in Microbiology. After college, he aims to conduct graduate research in Geobiology, focused on finding life on other worlds. He strives to turn childhood aspirations of space exploration to reality, helping build ALF at the FfAME lab, and hopes to one day see the Red Planet for himself.
Read Full Bio
Ian Fernandez
Ian Fernandez is a graduate student in the Microbiology and Cell Science program at the University of Florida. After graduate school, Ian intends to work in the biotechnology sector, while continuing his involvement in astrobiology, microbiology, and geoscience research. He aims to contribute significantly to the ALFA Mars project, as he aspires to be at the forefront of the search for extraterrestrial life.
Read Full Bio
Steven Benner
Dr. Steven Benner, founder of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution and Firebird Biomolecular Sciences. Expert in astrobiology, synthetic biology, paleogenetics, and evolutionary bioinformatics.
Read Full Bio
Lyle Whyte
Prof. Lyle Whyte, McGill University; Member, McGill Space Institute. Lyle studies the ecology and activity of microbial communities at subzero temperatures in high arctic analogues to Martian environments.
Read Full Bio
Victor Parro
Prof. Victor Parro, PhD, Senior Scientist at Spanish Astrobiology Center (Centro de Astrobiología), studies the environmental microbiology of extremophiles. Victor searches for (alien) biomolecules using antibody microarrays in Antarctica.
Read Full Bio
Alberto Fairén
Alberto Fairén, Research Full Professor at the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) in Spain, and a Visiting Scientist at the Cornell University. Alberto searches for life on early Mars and looks for common ground between human spaceflight and astrobiology.
Read Full Bio
Ximena C. Abrevaya
Dr. Ximena Abrevaya is an Astrobiologist, Senior Research Scientist at Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio, Argentina, and Founding Director of the Argentinian Research Unit in Astrobiology (Astrobio.ar). Her expertise in Astrobiology involves interdisciplinary studies, combining astrophysics, biology, and geology.
Read Full Bio
Charles Cockell
Charles Cockell is professor of Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh. His scientific interests are on life in extremes, habitability and the human exploration of space.
Read Full Bio
Janusz Pętkowski
Dr. Janusz Pętkowski is an astrobiologist, Research Affiliate in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) at MIT. Janusz is a Deputy PI on the MIT-Breakthrough Venus Life Finder Mission Concept Study.
Read Full Bio
Shannon Boettcher
Prof. Shannon Boettcher is a Director of the Oregon Center for Electrochemistry and an expert in inorganic materials science and fundamental electrochemistry, including membrane electrodialysis.
Read Full Bio
Sukrit Ranjan
Sukrit Ranjan is Professor of Planetary Science at the University of Arizona. His research interests lie in modeling the surface-atmosphere system of rocky planets with an emphasis on early Earth and terrestrial exoplanets, in service of (1) efforts to understand the emergence of life on Earth and (2) to search for life on exoplanets.
Read Full Bio
Miguel Ángel Fernández-Martínez
Dr. Miguel Ángel Fernández-Martínez is a ‘María Zambrano’ excellence program postdoctoral researcher at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain), specializing in microbial ecology of Mars terrestrial analogs and extreme environments.
Read Full Bio
Erik Bethke
Erik Bethke, CEO of Million on Mars, online game developer focused on settling the solar system. Created Starfleet Command and GoPets. Exited to Zynga, leadership on MafiaWars and FarmVille. Wrote Game Design and Production, and Settlers of the New Virtual Worlds.
Read Full Bio
Gage Owens
Gage Owens is a Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry at the University of Washington. He has worked in synthetic biology and organic chemistry at Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution.
Read Full Bio
Kate Sheldon
Kate Sheldon is a freshman at Princeton University studying astrophysics and chemistry. Kate intends to work in astrobiology and astrochemistry and hopes to study life on Mars – while on Mars.
Read Full Bio
Sean Brown
Sean Brown, a Biological Sciences PhD candidate at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, explores astrobiology, synthetic biology, and theoretical biochemistry. His research delves into the question of how an alien or alternative protein biochemistry might differ from what we know here on Earth.
Read Full Bio
Olivia Traenkle
Olivia Traenkle is a chemist and marine scientist, a PhD candidate working in Electrochemistry and Material Science Laboratory (University of Oregon) on bipolar membrane water electrolysis.
Read Full Bio
Hannah Dromiack
Hannah Dromiack is a Ph.D. candidate (Physics) at Arizona State University studying new methods for agnostic life detection using macroscale behaviors displayed by living organisms. She also is a contractor for NASA Ames Research Center researching Martian rotorcraft and future uses.
Read Full Bio
Tomáš Petrásek
Tomáš Petrásek is a Czech neuroscientist, astronomy popularizer, astrobiology teacher and science fiction writer, a member of Czech space enthusiast society Kosmo Klub. He leads an astrobiology course at the Charles University, Prague.
Read Full Bio
Caden Howlett
Caden Howlett is a PhD candidate in Geosciences at the University of Arizona, broadly interested in the processes that create and destroy mountain belts. He is a field-based structural geologist who integrates geologic mapping and field observation with geochronology and geochemistry.
Read Full Bio
Devanshi Kacholia
Devanshi Kacholia is a master's graduate in Geoinformation Science. She specializes in Martian geology and data analysis using ML/AI. When not working, she trains for basketball and dancing.
Read Full Bio
Ligia Fonseca Coelho
Dr. Lígia Fonseca Coelho is a Fulbright Researcher at the Department of Astronomy, Cornell University. Lígia is interested in biosignatures (pigments), extreme environments, and planetary field analogs.
Read Full Bio
Zack Cohen
Zack Cohen is a Ph.D. candidate in the Chemistry department and Astrobiology program at the University of Washington in Seattle. Zack investigates the behavior of fatty acid membranes.
Read Full Bio
Ziqin Ni
Ziqin (Grace) Ni (University of Maryland) studies the development of analytical techniques and operational strategies to search for life’s signatures via spaceflight instrumentations.
Read Full Bio
Jan Špaček
Jan is the CEO of Agnostic Life Finding Association Inc. Jan is an inventor of ALF (Agnostic Life Finder) and founder of the ALFA Mars project. Senior research scientist at Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, molecular biologist, and analytical (electro)chemist.
Read Full Bio
Chris Temby
Chris is the President of Agnostic Life Finding Association Inc., (ALFA). Chris Temby received his Bachelors of Science degree in Physics, with minors in Astronomy and Planetary Sciences and History, from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is an aspiring astrobiologist and astronaut, and currently a private pilot and scuba divemaster. He plans to pursue a PhD studying Martian planetary conditions and relevant aerospace engineering.
Read Full Bio
Gabby Rizzo
Gabby Rizzo is the Vice President and Treasurer of Agnostic Life Finding Association Inc., (ALFA). She is a first year PhD student in the Genetics, Cellular & Molecular Biology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As an aspiring astrobiologist, she is studying microorganisms in the subsurface and their environments, motivating the search for life beyond Earth. 
Read Full Bio
Courtney Pasternak
Courtney is a Junior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University studying Aerospace Engineering with a concentration in Astronautics, while minoring in computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM).
Read Full Bio
Sylvia Olewinski
Sylvia is an Astrobiology graduate from the University of London, Birkbeck, from where she had also received her Bachelor’s of Science (Hons) in Planetary Science and Astronomy. Sylvia’s research interests include early life and evolution, with particular focus on the interactions between the biosphere and geosphere in deep time. She plans to pursue a PhD studying geobiology, with focus on ancient carbon-rich and silica-rich stromatolite samples alongside their modern equivalents.
Read Full Bio
Annamaria Paone
Annamaria Paone is an Astrobiology graduate from the University of London, Birkbeck. Her thesis involved the investigation of the photosynthetic efficiency between Earth-sized planets around M-type and G-type stars. Annamaria’s previous work in ecology has helped in moving towards the studies of planetary habitability and origin of life.
Read Full Bio
Joshua Khan
Joshua Khan is an Astrobiology graduate from the University of London, Birkbeck. His thesis involved assessing biosignature preservation potential and rover traverses for the European Space Agency’s upcoming ExoMars mission. Joshua’s previous work in genetics & genomic technologies has also allowed for a useful passage into related studies of prokaryotes and archaea, for extremophile and origin of life research.
Read Full Bio
Holden Alpern
Holden Alpern is a sophomore at the University of Florida studying Geology, looking to double major in Microbiology. After college, he aims to conduct graduate research in Geobiology, focused on finding life on other worlds. He strives to turn childhood aspirations of space exploration to reality, helping build ALF at the FfAME lab, and hopes to one day see the Red Planet for himself.
Read Full Bio
Ian Fernandez
Ian Fernandez is a graduate student in the Microbiology and Cell Science program at the University of Florida. After graduate school, Ian intends to work in the biotechnology sector, while continuing his involvement in astrobiology, microbiology, and geoscience research. He aims to contribute significantly to the ALFA Mars project, as he aspires to be at the forefront of the search for extraterrestrial life.
Read Full Bio
Steven Benner
Dr. Steven Benner, founder of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution and Firebird Biomolecular Sciences. Expert in astrobiology, synthetic biology, paleogenetics, and evolutionary bioinformatics.
Read Full Bio
Lyle Whyte
Prof. Lyle Whyte, McGill University; Member, McGill Space Institute. Lyle studies the ecology and activity of microbial communities at subzero temperatures in high arctic analogues to Martian environments.
Read Full Bio
Victor Parro
Prof. Victor Parro, PhD, Senior Scientist at Spanish Astrobiology Center (Centro de Astrobiología), studies the environmental microbiology of extremophiles. Victor searches for (alien) biomolecules using antibody microarrays in Antarctica.
Read Full Bio
Alberto Fairén
Alberto Fairén, Research Full Professor at the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) in Spain, and a Visiting Scientist at the Cornell University. Alberto searches for life on early Mars and looks for common ground between human spaceflight and astrobiology.
Read Full Bio
Ximena C. Abrevaya
Dr. Ximena Abrevaya is an Astrobiologist, Senior Research Scientist at Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio, Argentina, and Founding Director of the Argentinian Research Unit in Astrobiology (Astrobio.ar). Her expertise in Astrobiology involves interdisciplinary studies, combining astrophysics, biology, and geology.
Read Full Bio
Charles Cockell
Charles Cockell is professor of Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh. His scientific interests are on life in extremes, habitability and the human exploration of space.
Read Full Bio
Janusz Pętkowski
Dr. Janusz Pętkowski is an astrobiologist, Research Affiliate in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) at MIT. Janusz is a Deputy PI on the MIT-Breakthrough Venus Life Finder Mission Concept Study.
Read Full Bio
Shannon Boettcher
Prof. Shannon Boettcher is a Director of the Oregon Center for Electrochemistry and an expert in inorganic materials science and fundamental electrochemistry, including membrane electrodialysis.
Read Full Bio
Sukrit Ranjan
Sukrit Ranjan is Professor of Planetary Science at the University of Arizona. His research interests lie in modeling the surface-atmosphere system of rocky planets with an emphasis on early Earth and terrestrial exoplanets, in service of (1) efforts to understand the emergence of life on Earth and (2) to search for life on exoplanets.
Read Full Bio
Miguel Ángel Fernández-Martínez
Dr. Miguel Ángel Fernández-Martínez is a ‘María Zambrano’ excellence program postdoctoral researcher at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain), specializing in microbial ecology of Mars terrestrial analogs and extreme environments.
Read Full Bio
Erik Bethke
Erik Bethke, CEO of Million on Mars, online game developer focused on settling the solar system. Created Starfleet Command and GoPets. Exited to Zynga, leadership on MafiaWars and FarmVille. Wrote Game Design and Production, and Settlers of the New Virtual Worlds.
Read Full Bio
Gage Owens
Gage Owens is a Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry at the University of Washington. He has worked in synthetic biology and organic chemistry at Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution.
Read Full Bio
Kate Sheldon
Kate Sheldon is a freshman at Princeton University studying astrophysics and chemistry. Kate intends to work in astrobiology and astrochemistry and hopes to study life on Mars – while on Mars.
Read Full Bio
Sean Brown
Sean Brown, a Biological Sciences PhD candidate at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, explores astrobiology, synthetic biology, and theoretical biochemistry. His research delves into the question of how an alien or alternative protein biochemistry might differ from what we know here on Earth.
Read Full Bio
Olivia Traenkle
Olivia Traenkle is a chemist and marine scientist, a PhD candidate working in Electrochemistry and Material Science Laboratory (University of Oregon) on bipolar membrane water electrolysis.
Read Full Bio
Hannah Dromiack
Hannah Dromiack is a Ph.D. candidate (Physics) at Arizona State University studying new methods for agnostic life detection using macroscale behaviors displayed by living organisms. She also is a contractor for NASA Ames Research Center researching Martian rotorcraft and future uses.
Read Full Bio
Tomáš Petrásek
Tomáš Petrásek is a Czech neuroscientist, astronomy popularizer, astrobiology teacher and science fiction writer, a member of Czech space enthusiast society Kosmo Klub. He leads an astrobiology course at the Charles University, Prague.
Read Full Bio
Caden Howlett
Caden Howlett is a PhD candidate in Geosciences at the University of Arizona, broadly interested in the processes that create and destroy mountain belts. He is a field-based structural geologist who integrates geologic mapping and field observation with geochronology and geochemistry.
Read Full Bio
Devanshi Kacholia
Devanshi Kacholia is a master's graduate in Geoinformation Science. She specializes in Martian geology and data analysis using ML/AI. When not working, she trains for basketball and dancing.
Read Full Bio
Ligia Fonseca Coelho
Dr. Lígia Fonseca Coelho is a Fulbright Researcher at the Department of Astronomy, Cornell University. Lígia is interested in biosignatures (pigments), extreme environments, and planetary field analogs.
Read Full Bio
Zack Cohen
Zack Cohen is a Ph.D. candidate in the Chemistry department and Astrobiology program at the University of Washington in Seattle. Zack investigates the behavior of fatty acid membranes.
Read Full Bio
Ziqin Ni
Ziqin (Grace) Ni (University of Maryland) studies the development of analytical techniques and operational strategies to search for life’s signatures via spaceflight instrumentations.
Read Full Bio

ALFA Mars is supported by:

The Mars Society
marssociety.org

 

Foundation For Applied Molecular Evolution
ffame.org

 

                                    
Czech Mars Society
http://marssociety.cz/

 

 

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