I co-lead the Origins and Habitability Laboratory at JPL. Visit the OHL website here for more details about our research, lab news, and facilities. 

Interested in an internship? I take several summer interns each year, and also have year-round interns who work part time while going to school. I typically fill my summer intern positions in the fall (October - November), and it is not unusual for people to contact me more than a year in advance. If interested, email me and tell me about your research interests. 

Below are the lab members currently working on projects that I supervise. 

Erika is completing her Master's degree in Environmental Engineering at CSU Los Angeles, and has a Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona. She is working on prebiotic organic synthesis and phosphorus absorption in hydrothermal systems.

Ninos is completing his Master's in Physics at CSU Los Angeles, and has a Bachelor's in Planetary Astronomy from UC Santa Cruz. He is working on simulating temperature gradients and electrical properties in hydrothermal vents and also works in JPL Exoplanet science.

Sarah is an undergraduate geology major at Caltech. She is working on the NASA Becoming Biotic project, testing how protein cofactors undergo redox reactions in early Earth conditions. 

Michelle is a STEM Teacher and Researcher fellow with degrees in Biology and Education from USC. She studies the effects of organic molecules on iron-silicate and iron-hydroxide chemical garden systems, with applications for origin of life and looking for biosignatures on other worlds.

Jonathan is a graduate student in Biogeosciences at the University of Tulsa. He is working with us on simulating phosphorus chemistry in iron and manganese mineral systems on Mars and ocean worlds.

Thora has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Purdue and a Master's in Chemistry from Clemson University. She is a JPL technologist working with us on the origin of protein cofactors and the TCA cycle.