Dr. Jan Špaček manages the ALFA Mars project and is the CEO of ALFA INC. Jan is a senior research scientist at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution (Alachua, Florida). He is a molecular biologist, analytical chemist, and organic chemist with a focus on the study of life on Mars and the clouds of Venus. He is the inventor and lead designer of the Agnostic Life Finder (ALF). Jan proposed a hypothesis about the organic carbon cycle in the atmosphere of Venus, which will be tested in the first private interplanetary mission in 2025. He is also involved in developing life detection devices, including ones to detect the coronavirus. Jan has extensive research experience and has worked on analytical electrochemistry of modified and natural DNA at the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Central European Institute of Technology in the Czech Republic. He has also been a visiting researcher at several institutions including the Ege University in Izmir, Turkey, the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center in Aarhus, Denmark, the Department of NanoEngineering at the University of California, San Diego in San Diego, California, and the Oregon Center for Electrochemistry in Eugene, Oregon. Jan holds a Doctorate in Genomics and Proteomics and Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Molecular Biology and Genetics. Outside of science, Jan bicycled around the Baltic Sea and across the Australian continent, 7500 kilometers in all. Co-author of primordialscoop.org  

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. Chris is a private pilot and a PADI scuba divemaster. His academic interests lie within the intersection of geobiology and geochemistry to better understand the linkage between life and the geologic system of which it is a part. He plans to pursue a PhD in Field Geology studying Mars Analog environments. Chris is the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Agnostic Life Finding Association Inc., (ALFA).

Gabby Rizzo is an incoming first year Ph.D. student in the Genetics, Cellular & Molecular Biology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her current research in the Holden Lab at UMass Amherst involves characterizing a new thermophilic methanogen isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent and its implications for detecting extraterrestrial life. As an aspiring astrobiologist, her career interests entail discovering traces of ancient microbial life in the Martian subsurface, understanding early life on Earth, and investigating the potential habitability of icy moons. Aside from academia, Gabby enjoys hiking, reading and volunteering in her local community. Gabby is the Vice President and Treasurer of Agnostic Life Finding Association Inc., (ALFA).

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). She is a high achiever in the Honors Program, and she also enjoys her roles as a student assistant and teaching assistant in the Humanities and Communications Department at Embry-Riddle. Courtney provides essential support to faculty members and works directly with students to improve their understanding of course material. Courtney is also an avid stargazer and rocket watcher, with a passion for baking, cooking, and thrifting. As a female engineer, she hopes to inspire other women to pursue success in STEM. Courtney is a member of the Board of Directors and serves as the Secretary of Agnostic Life Finding Association Inc. (ALFA).

Ian Fernandez is a graduate student in the Microbiology and Cell Science program at the University of Florida. After completing his master’s program, Ian intends to gain industry experience in the biotechnology sector, while continuing his research involvement in the fields of astrobiology, microbiology, and geoscience. Ian is currently interested in studying extremophilic microorganisms that thrive in relatively harsh ecological niches. He aims to expand on our understanding of the origin and habitability of life in the universe, as well as to explore the limits of life’s adaptability in extreme environments. As an aspiring astrobiologist, Ian yearns to be at the forefront of space exploration and hopes to one day contribute to the discovery of extraterrestrial life. Outside of academia, Ian enjoys listening to music, going to the beach, and being in nature.

Steven Benner has developed the fields of paleogenetics, evolutionary bioinformatics, astrobiology, and synthetic biology, working at Harvard, the ETH Zurich, and the University of Florida before establishing the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution (Alachua) and Firebird Biomolecular Sciences LLC. His synthetic biology has had over $1.3 billion in medical applications and is currently used in coronavirus detection. His laboratory has resurrected 3-billion-year-old proteins in Jurassic Park experiments and helped define how life may have arisen on Earth and Mars. He earned Bachelors's and Masters's Degrees in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (Yale), and a Ph.D. in Chemistry (Harvard). Outside of science, Steven bicycled across the North American continent, 6083 kilometers in all. Steven’s ventures finance the initial development of ALF.  

Prof. Lyle Whyte (Professor, McGill University; Member, McGill Space Institute) is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Polar Microbiology (2018-2025). He explores microbial communities' biodiversity, ecology, and activity at subzero temperatures in cryoenvironments (subzero habitats). The utility of these unique cryoenvironments as analogues for astrobiology studies is also a key feature of his research program. He is a member of the McGill Space Institute and is currently Chair of the CSA Planetary Exploration Consultation Committee (PECC) and was the PI of the NSERC CREATE Canadian Astrobiology Training Program (2009-2015). He was a member of the ExoMars 2020 Landing Site Selection Working Group (LSWWG) and is currently an invited member of the ExoMars Rover Operations Science Working Group (ROSWG), the ExoMars PanCan and CLUPI Science Teams.

Prof. Victor Parro, PhD in Biological Sciences from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, specialized in molecular and environmental microbiology. Expertise in the analysis of gene expression in bacteria and exploration of microbial diversity, molecular biomarkers (metaproteomics and lipid forensic), and metabolisms in the shallow and deep subsurface. He leads the multidisciplinary research group Biomolecules in Planetary Exploration, to investigate the presence and preservation of biomolecules in environments of astrobiological interest and to develop antibody microarray-based sensors (LDChip, Life Detector Chip) and the SOLID (Signs Of Life Detector) instrument for in situ search for life in planetary exploration. Principal investigator of multiple national and European projects, co-I and collaborator in several NASA-funded projects, has led and participated in several field campaigns to extreme environments (Rio Tinto, Atacama, High Arctic, Antarctica), and has co-authored more than 120 research articles and co-inventor of 11 patent methods. https://cab.inta-csic.es/proyectos/solid/  

Alberto Fairén is an interdisciplinary planetary scientist and astrobiologist, specializing in geochemistry, mineralogy, hydrogeology, sedimentology and environmental microbiology of extremophiles, with a particular focus on understanding the habitability of early Mars and the search for life on Mars and ocean worlds. He has previously worked at Cornell, NASA Ames and the SETI Institute; has explored different extreme environments (Arctic, Pilbara, Atacama, Rio Tinto, Pavillion, Mojave); and is a science team member in several Mars landed missions (NASA's Opportunity, Curiosity, Perseverance) and forthcoming (ESA's ExoMars). Alberto has been over one decade advocating for a methodic astrobiological exploration of Mars before sending manned missions, because it is foreseeable that terrestrial microorganisms will accompany human crews to Mars and find ways to adapt and survive: forward contamination will be certain and will affect potential biology on Mars in ways we are not equipped to understand yet. https://astro.cornell.edu/alberto-g-fairen

Dr. Ximena Abrevaya is an Astrobiologist, and Senior Research Scientist (CONICET) at Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio (University of Buenos Aires – CONICET), Argentina. She is the Founding Director of the Argentinian Research Unit in Astrobiology ‘Astrobio.ar’ (www.astrobioargentina.org). Abrevaya obtained her Licenciatura (equivalent to MSc.) and Ph.D. degrees in Biological Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires and her doctoral dissertation was the first thesis in Astrobiology in Argentina. Her expertise in Astrobiology relies on interdisciplinary studies where she combines astrophysics, biology, and geology. Her main research topics are related to stellar radiation as a constraint for habitability, for the origin of life in planetary bodies of the Solar System, and for lithopanspermia, as well as halophilic archaea, and radiotolerant microorganisms as models in astrobiology, hypersaline environments as analogs of extraterrestrial environments, and methods for the in situ detection of extraterrestrial life, among others. Since 2019, Abrevaya is invited scientist at the Institute for Physics, University of Graz, Austria. She is the PI of several international projects such as “The EXO-UV program”, working in collaboration with researchers from multiple institutions in different countries such as Brazil, Austria, the UK, and Germany. Additionally, she has been working in the communication of science for the public for more than 15 years. In 2007 she received the National Award for Science Journalism, given by the Ministry of Science and Technology from Argentina.

Charles Cockell is Professor of Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh and Co-Director of the UK Centre for Astrobiology, which he established in 2011. His academic interests encompass life in extreme environments, the habitability of extraterrestrial environments and the exploration and settlement of space. He has previously worked at NASA Ames Research Centre (NRC Postdoctoral Fellowship) and the British Antarctic Survey. His work has taken him to both poles and many other extreme environments. He has published many scientific papers and numerous books, including on the subject of space societies: Interplanetary Liberty: Building Free Societies in the Cosmos (OUP, 2022). He leads the Life Beyond program, which engages prisoners in the design of human settlements in space. He is Chair of the Earth and Space Foundation, a non-profit organisation he established in 1994 which funds expeditions that advance the unity between space exploration and environmentalism.

Janusz Pętkowski is an astrobiologist and a Research Affiliate in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Janusz is a Deputy PI on the MIT-Breakthrough Venus Life Finder Mission Concept Study. He is interested in biosignature gasses, theoretical biochemistry, and in research leading to finding life outside Earth. Janusz defended his doctorate in biophysics at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He got his M.Sc. and B.Sc. in biotechnology and molecular biology at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland. He is one of the founding members of the Polish Astrobiological Society.

Prof. Shannon Boettcher is a Director of the Oregon Center for Electrochemistry (University of Oregon) and an expert in inorganic materials science and fundamental electrochemistry, including membrane electrodialysis. Shannon's lab is focused on designing, synthesizing, and understanding materials for applications in direct solar water splitting architectures. Their goal is to integrate solar energy conversion with storage in the form of chemical fuel. Recently, his team has improved the performance of bipolar membranes for water dissociation 10-fold over the state-of-the-art.

Sukrit's research focuses on applying photochemistry to questions related to the origin of life on Earth and the search for life on other worlds. These questions are coupled: efforts to understand the origin of life on Earth helps guide our search for it elsewhere in the cosmos, while observations of other planets help us test our theories of the prebiotic environment and of abiogenesis. To understand abiogenesis, Sukrit works to constrain the palette of environmental conditions from which life arose on Earth, to test and guide experimental studies of the origin of life. To search for life elsewhere, Sukrit works to determine observational tests by which life on other worlds may be remotely discriminated. In collaboration with experimental colleagues, Sukrit works to obtain the critical measurements of fundamental photochemical parameters required to build robust models in support of both goals.

Miguel is a doctorate in Microbial Ecology from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain), with a background in nucleic acid and proteins sequencing techniques and analysis and in the development of instrumentation devoted to search for life in extreme environments. He also has expertise in field campaigns to extreme areas, such as Río Tinto, Atacama, Antarctica, and the High Arctic, considered Mars and Icy Moons (Europa, Enceladus) terrestrial analogs. Miguel is passionate about deciphering the microbial metabolic reactions and relations that support extreme environments and microenvironments, especially undescribed ones. Besides that, Miguel is very active in scientific outreach, giving talks and employing social networks (Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) to communicate the most interesting findings on Astrobiology.

28 years of making online games. 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. Took a 3 year sailing sabbatical with my family, 100-ton master sailer, technical diver. JPL UV Spectrometer on Galileo and Cassini. Rode my bike across Japan. Woodworking, welding, gardening, maker.

Gage Owens has worked in the fields of synthetic biology and organic chemistry. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Washington, where he is also a part of the UW Astrobiology journal club. Gage presented research at AbSciCon 2022 at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution (FfAME). This research focused on the fate of organic carbon in sulfuric acid and contributed to the science behind the Venus Life Finder Mission set for launch in May 2023. When not considering life on other planets, Gage appreciates life on Earth through hiking, climbing, and other outdoor activities. As a first-year graduate student, he is not currently working on research but would like to study nonstandard amino acids and unnatural DNA base pairs.

Kate Sheldon is a freshman at Princeton University studying astrophysics and chemistry. She intends to work in astrobiology and astrochemistry and study the origins of life. Kate is just starting her academic journey, but previously interned with Jayich Lab at UCSB to code a Tray Launcher. During a different side project she studied qubits and ion traps. Kate is currently working on a group project to redesign and standardize absolute beam monitors to help test space instruments with the Princeton Space Physics Lab. She is an aspiring astronaut, as well as a cross country runner, soccer player and voracious science fiction reader. Kate intends to turn yesterday's science fiction into tomorrow's science fact.

Holden Alpern is a sophomore at the University of Florida studying Geology, looking to double major in Microbiology. After getting his degree, he aims to conduct graduate research in Geobiology: studying extremophiles, the origins of Earth life, and how we can find it on other worlds. Like many, he dreamed of exploring space as a child. Now, he strives to turn those aspirations to reality, helping Jan construct ALF at the FfAME lab and contributing to future projects for ALFA. His dream is to be lucky enough to one day see the Red Planet with his own eyes. When not studying or in the lab, you'll find him rock climbing, kickboxing, lifting, or generally pondering with his cat Sylvie. He is currently training for a half-marathon race.

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. Sean investigates the origins and early evolution of life's building blocks, examining the possibilities beyond the set of 20 genetically encoded L-⍺-amino acids found in all life on Earth. His work sheds light on the potential for life's existence and adaptation in diverse environments, both within our planet and beyond. Sean aspires to work as an astrobiologist after completing his doctorate; but outside of academia, he finds joy in hiking with his dog and actively plays and coaching ice hockey.

Olivia Traenkle obtained MS in Marine Science and Chemistry (Eckerd College). She is a Ph.D. candidate in the Electrochemistry and Material Science Laboratory (Boettcher group, University of Oregon) on bipolar membrane water electrolysis. She works on one of her nine project cars when she is not busy engineering membrane electrolysis and electrodialysis cells.

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. Her research background includes experience in experimental testing of hardware, data analysis of both living and non-living specimens, modelling, and theoretical development. She is passionate about finding meaningful bridges between fundamental science and practical applications currently focused extraplanetary exploration.

Tomáš Petrásek works as a neuroscientist and a leader of a small research team at the National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic, investigating neurodegenerative disorders and animal communication. He is also keenly interested in astrobiology, which has resulted in two published nonfiction books about astrobiological perspectives of the outer planets and icy moons, numerous public lectures, and a specialized course of astrobiology at the Charles University, Prague. He has also worked for a year at Ďáblice observatory in Prague. Tomáš also occasionally writes science fiction, with one published novel and several short stories, including a contribution to the anthology Life Beyond Us by European Astrobiology Institute.  

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 low-temperature thermochronology, thermal history modeling, geochronology, and geochemistry.  Caden’s work considers these data in a regional context that enables the testing and/or creation of tectonic and geodynamic models.  He has active projects in the western USA, south-central Andes (Argentina and Chile), and southern Tibet.  Caden is passionate about science communication, writing on topics in science and philosophy on his Instagram and creating YouTube videos that focus primarily on the dissemination of physical science research and tips for success at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Devanshi Kacholia is an MSc graduate in Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation from The University of Twente (Enschede, Netherlands). Her research interests in mainly life beyond Earth, with a particular focus on ice in the solar system. Her master's thesis focused on detecting subsurface layers on Mars using radar datasets. During her research internship at the German Aerospace Center, Devanshi worked on developing a prototype database management system for missions like Bepi Colombo. Her academic interests extend beyond just planetary science, as she is also interested in the applications of geo-data engineering in other areas of space research. In her free time, Devanshi enjoys playing basketball, dancing, and staying updated on the latest space research-related podcasts.

Lígia has a background in microbiology and a Ph.D. in Bioengineering/Astrobiology from the MIT Portugal Program/Técnico.  She is interested in studying biosignatures focusing on biological pigments, extreme environments, and planetary field analogs. Lígia's interests extend to innovation and space biology. In 2019, Lígia was the co-author of the winning space biology payload project that flew on board the New Shepard (Blue Origin) to study the effect of microgravity on photosynthesis. In 2022 she was the co-author of a second winning payload project to study the effect of the space environment on medical devices for women's health, which will fly later in 2022 on board of the rocket Baltasar (Técnico, Portugal). In 2022, Lígia was the only Portuguese awarded a Fulbright Schuman for scholars and is currently a researcher at Cornell University working with prof. Lisa Kaltenegger in the creation of tools for the search of biosignatures in the cosmos.

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 to constrain the environmental setting for the origin of life on Earth.

Ziqin (Grace) Ni is interested in understanding life’s origin, distribution, and evolution in the Universe via laboratory simulation, computational modeling, experimental observation, and philosophical deduction. She has three main research areas: primitive Earth conditions, prebiotic processes to synthesize organic compounds, and the development of analytical techniques and operational strategies to search for life’s signatures via spaceflight instrumentations. Grace is passionate about navigating communications between engineering and science communities, focusing on developing operational strategies and analytical innovations to maximize scientific return with minimum technological risks and financial costs. As an investigator on a team building spaceflight instrumentations for future life detection missions, Grace advocates for international and interdisciplinary collaboration across the academic, industry, and government sectors to come up with feasible solutions to answer grand scientific questions in space exploration.