Jennifer Eigenbrode

Last updated
Jennifer Eigenbrode
Goddard scientist Jennifer Eigenbrode (6385412459).jpg
Eigenbrode injecting a chemical into a rock sample in 2011
Alma mater
Scientific career
Institutions Goddard Space Flight Center
Thesis Late Archean microbial ecology: An integration of molecular, isotopic, and lithologic studies  (2004)
Doctoral advisor Katherine Freeman
Other academic advisors

Jennifer Eigenbrode is an interdisciplinary astrobiologist who works at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. She specializes in organic chemistry, geology, and organic bio-geochemistry of Martian and ocean-world environments.

Contents

Early life and education

Eigenbrode's inherent curiosity, as well as being in a family of engineers and technicians, stimulated her enjoyment of science. Geology in particular interested her and she became a "professional geology student". [1]

Eigenbrode obtained her B.S. in geology from James Madison University in Virginia. Her senior thesis explored the clay mineralogy of river terrace soils in Virginia. [2] Her master's degree was obtained from Indiana University Bloomington and focused on geological sciences while working under the direction of Lisa Pratt. [3] Her Ph.D. was obtained at Pennsylvania State University where her dissertation topic was "Late Archean microbial ecology: an integration of molecular isotopic, and lithologic records" [4] while working under the direction of Katherine Freeman. Following her Ph.D., Eigenbrode was a postdoctoral fellow at the Carnegie Institution of Washington from 2004 until 2007 [2] working under the direction of Marilyn Fogel. In 2007 she accepted a position at the National Aeronautic and Space Administration as a space scientist. [2]

Research

Eigenbrode's early research was on the Earth's atmosphere during the Archean era where she examined organic carbon, [5] sulfur, [6] and the origin of aerobic ecosystems. [7] She then moved on to examining organic compounds found in Neoarchaean rocks, [8] establishing field methods to prepare samples for analysis, [9] and developing methods to preserve samples from Mars in a manner that allows investigation of biosignatures. [10] [11]

Her current research focuses on Mars, and uses samples collected by the rover Curiosity which she uses to search for signals of life on Mars. [12] She received NASA's Internal Research and Development (IRAD) Innovator of the Year award in 2009 for her work on a sample preparation module needed to collect samples from Mars. [13] She is a part of the team [14] [15] working on samples from Mars including gases [16] and soils, [17] and radiation on the planet. [15] [18] She was lead author on a paper examining organic matter within the samples from Mars, [19] [20] research that used the SAM instrument (Sample Analysis at Mars) to burn samples collected from the surface of Mars and examined the resulting gas to determine the composition of the samples. [21] [22] Eigenbrode is also establishing the groundwork to use the CheMin (Chemistry and Mineralogy) instrument on Curiosity to detect organic salts in the Mars samples. [23] [24]

Selected publications

Awards and honors

References

  1. ↑ "Women at NASA: Jennifer Eigenbrode". Women at NASA. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Bio - Jennifer L Eigenbrode". science.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  3. ↑ Eigenbrode, Jennifer L (1999). Sedimentological, carbon-isotopic, and molecular records of late Holocene climate in the sediments of Soda Lake, Carrizo plain, California (Thesis). OCLC   42322638.
  4. ↑ Eigenbrode, Jennifer L. (26 March 2004). "Late Archean Microbial Ecology: An Integration of Molecular, Isotopic, and Lithologic Studies".
  5. ↑ Pavlov, Alexander A.; Kasting, James F.; Eigenbrode, Jennifer L.; Freeman, Katherine H. (2001-11-01). "Organic haze in Earth's early atmosphere: Source of low-13C Late Archean kerogens?" . Geology. 29 (11): 1003–1006. Bibcode:2001Geo....29.1003P. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<1003:OHIESE>2.0.CO;2. ISSN   0091-7613.
  6. ↑ Ono, Shuhei; Eigenbrode, Jennifer L.; Pavlov, Alexander A.; Kharecha, Pushker; Rumble, Douglas; Kasting, James F.; Freeman, Katherine H. (2003-08-01). "New insights into Archean sulfur cycle from mass-independent sulfur isotope records from the Hamersley Basin, Australia" . Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 213 (1): 15–30. Bibcode:2003E&PSL.213...15O. doi:10.1016/S0012-821X(03)00295-4. ISSN   0012-821X.
  7. ↑ Eigenbrode, Jennifer L.; Freeman, Katherine H. (2006-10-24). "Late Archean rise of aerobic microbial ecosystems". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 103 (43): 15759–15764. Bibcode:2006PNAS..10315759E. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0607540103 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   1635076 . PMID   17043234.
  8. ↑ Eigenbrode, Jennifer L.; Freeman, Katherine H.; Summons, Roger E. (2008-09-15). "Methylhopane biomarker hydrocarbons in Hamersley Province sediments provide evidence for Neoarchean aerobiosis" . Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 273 (3): 323–331. Bibcode:2008E&PSL.273..323E. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2008.06.037. ISSN   0012-821X.
  9. ↑ Eigenbrode, Jennifer; Benning, Liane G.; Maule, Jake; Wainwright, Norm; Steele, Andrew; Amundsen, Hans E.F. (2009-06-01). "A Field-Based Cleaning Protocol for Sampling Devices Used in Life-Detection Studies" . Astrobiology. 9 (5): 455–465. Bibcode:2009AsBio...9..455E. doi:10.1089/ast.2008.0275. ISSN   1531-1074. PMID   19496672.
  10. ↑ Summons, Roger E.; Amend, Jan P.; Bish, David; Buick, Roger; Cody, George D.; Des Marais, David J.; Dromart, Gilles; Eigenbrode, Jennifer L.; Knoll, Andrew H.; Sumner, Dawn Y. (2011-03-01). "Preservation of Martian Organic and Environmental Records: Final Report of the Mars Biosignature Working Group". Astrobiology. 11 (2): 157–181. Bibcode:2011AsBio..11..157S. doi:10.1089/ast.2010.0506. hdl: 1721.1/66519 . ISSN   1531-1074. PMID   21417945. S2CID   9963677.
  11. ↑ Mahaffy, Paul R.; Webster, Christopher R.; Cabane, Michel; Conrad, Pamela G.; Coll, Patrice; Atreya, Sushil K.; Arvey, Robert; Barciniak, Michael; Benna, Mehdi; Bleacher, Lora; Brinckerhoff, William B. (2012-09-01). "The Sample Analysis at Mars Investigation and Instrument Suite". Space Science Reviews. 170 (1): 401–478. Bibcode:2012SSRv..170..401M. doi: 10.1007/s11214-012-9879-z . ISSN   1572-9672. S2CID   3759945.
  12. ↑ Emspak, Jesse. "Was There Ever Life on Mars?". Scientific American. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  13. 1 2 "Eigenbrode Earns Chief Technologist's Top Prize, Flatley Wins an Honorable Mention". 2009-11-19. Archived from the original on 2009-11-19. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  14. ↑ Grotzinger, J. P.; Sumner, D. Y.; Kah, L. C.; Stack, K.; Gupta, S.; Edgar, L.; Rubin, D.; Lewis, K.; Schieber, J.; Mangold, N.; Milliken, R. (2014-01-24). "A Habitable Fluvio-Lacustrine Environment at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars". Science. 343 (6169): 1242777. Bibcode:2014Sci...343A.386G. doi: 10.1126/science.1242777 . hdl: 2060/20150008374 . PMID   24324272. S2CID   52836398.
  15. 1 2 Hassler, Donald M.; Zeitlin, Cary; Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert F.; Ehresmann, Bent; Rafkin, Scot; Eigenbrode, Jennifer L.; Brinza, David E.; Weigle, Gerald; Böttcher, Stephan; Böhm, Eckart; Burmeister, Soenke (2014-01-24). "Mars' Surface Radiation Environment Measured with the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity Rover". Science. 343 (6169): 1244797. Bibcode:2014Sci...343D.386H. doi: 10.1126/science.1244797 . hdl: 1874/309142 . PMID   24324275. S2CID   33661472.
  16. ↑ Mahaffy, Paul R.; Webster, Christopher R.; Atreya, Sushil K.; Franz, Heather; Wong, Michael; Conrad, Pamela G.; Harpold, Dan; Jones, John J.; Leshin, Laurie A.; Manning, Heidi; Owen, Tobias (2013-07-19). "Abundance and Isotopic Composition of Gases in the Martian Atmosphere from the Curiosity Rover" . Science. 341 (6143): 263–266. Bibcode:2013Sci...341..263M. doi:10.1126/science.1237966. PMID   23869014. S2CID   206548973.
  17. ↑ Leshin, L. A.; Mahaffy, P. R.; Webster, C. R.; Cabane, M.; Coll, P.; Conrad, P. G.; Archer, P. D.; Atreya, S. K.; Brunner, A. E.; Buch, A.; Eigenbrode, J. L. (2013-09-27). "Volatile, Isotope, and Organic Analysis of Martian Fines with the Mars Curiosity Rover" . Science. 341 (6153): 1238937. Bibcode:2013Sci...341E...3L. doi:10.1126/science.1238937. PMID   24072926. S2CID   206549244.
  18. ↑ "Curiosity Sniffing the Ground on Hunt for Martian Organic Material". ABC News. December 9, 2013. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  19. ↑ Eigenbrode, Jennifer L.; Summons, Roger E.; Steele, Andrew; Freissinet, Caroline; Millan, Maëva; Navarro-González, Rafael; Sutter, Brad; McAdam, Amy C.; Franz, Heather B.; Glavin, Daniel P.; Archer, Paul D. (2018-06-08). "Organic matter preserved in 3-billion-year-old mudstones at Gale crater, Mars". Science. 360 (6393): 1096–1101. Bibcode:2018Sci...360.1096E. doi: 10.1126/science.aas9185 . hdl: 10044/1/60810 . ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   29880683. S2CID   46983230.
  20. ↑ Voosen, Paul (2018-06-07). "NASA rover hits organic pay dirt on Mars". Science | AAAS. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  21. ↑ "Organic salts on Mars hint at ancient microbial life on the Red Planet". ZME Science. 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  22. ↑ Wall, Mike (2018-06-07). "Curiosity Rover Finds Ancient 'Building Blocks for Life' on Mars". Space.com. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  23. ↑ Lewis, J. M. T.; Eigenbrode, J. L.; Wong, G. M.; McAdam, A. C.; Archer, P. D.; Sutter, B.; Millan, M.; Williams, R. H.; Guzman, M.; Das, A.; Rampe, E. B. (2021). "Pyrolysis of Oxalate, Acetate, and Perchlorate Mixtures and the Implications for Organic Salts on Mars". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 126 (4): e2020JE006803. Bibcode:2021JGRE..12606803L. doi:10.1029/2020JE006803. ISSN   2169-9100. S2CID   233603377.
  24. ↑ Strickland, Ashley (2 June 2021). "Organic salts could be on Mars. Here's what that means". CNN. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  25. ↑ "Philip R. Cosminsky Award". www.jmu.edu. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  26. ↑ "GSA Awards Research Grants" (PDF). GSA Today. Vol. 9, no. 9. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Awards Won - Computational & Information Sciences and Technology Office - 606". science.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  28. ↑ "125th Anniversary Fellows named by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences | Penn State University". www.psu.edu. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
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