I am a Senior Research Scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. Also affiliated as Visiting Faculty with the Oak Crest Institute for Science in Monrovia, CA.

I am an expert in astrobiology and planetary science, which allows me to lead research teams to investigate the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe. I study the emergence of life on early Earth and ways to search for life elsewhere including Mars and "ocean worlds" like Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus. My team seeks to understand mineral-driven organic reactions and geochemistry relevant to biological and prebiotic systems. We do planetary environment simulations in the lab including making mini vent chimneys, making our own early Earth and Mars minerals, and simulating the energy in ocean systems using fuel cells. At NASA JPL I lead the Origins and Habitability Lab, an astrobiology research group of students, postdocs, and research scientists. I am the Investigation Scientist for the HiRISE instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a Participating Scientist on NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, and the co-founder and co-chair of the Board of Directors for the Scientific Society for Astrobiology.

Another motivation for my work is outreach and education. I mentor undergraduate and graduate students in my research team and have a particular interest in helping students find paths into research and STEM careers. I’m involved with various projects along these lines and always happy to meet like-minded collaborators. 

I received my B.S. in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Villanova University and my Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from the University of Southern California. As a student I did internships at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD; Marathon Oil Company in Houston, TX; and JPL in Pasadena, CA. After graduate school I was a Caltech Postdoctoral Scholar and then a NASA Astrobiology Institute Postdoctoral Fellow. For my research I have received various awards including the JPL Lew Allen Award, the NASA Early Career Public Achievement Medal, the Rosalind Franklin Society Award in Science, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Email: lmb@lauriebarge.com