Abstract: 

The search for organic compounds in the solar system is a pursuit central to space mission exploration and our understanding of carbon-based life's potential beyond Earth. The discovery of a once-habitable environment on Mars has made the red planet a central focus in the search for extraterrestrial life and a testbed for characterizing organic compound chemistry on planetary bodies.

Until the breakthrough discovery of a variety of organic compounds with the Curiosity rover, the lack of organic compounds on Mars in initial explorations posed a longstanding enigma. It questioned the capacity of Mars-like surface environments to preserve organic matter, whether biotic or abiotic. Building on these findings, the Perseverance rover's SHERLOC spectrometer is now at the forefront, equipped to detect and analyze Martian organics to be returned to Earth for laboratory study. Recent reported findings reveal a surprising diversity of organic molecules, which – if true – would rewrite our understanding of organic matter preservation on planetary bodies beyond Earth. During this seminar, I will engage in a detailed analysis of the SHERLOC dataset and clarify the intricacies of its signals. I will reach a provocative different conclusion – that we lack evidence for organic compound presence in Martian samples.

Finally, I project into the future to consider how tackling current challenges in Mars exploration improve ongoing and future missions in the broader search for life and prebiotic chemistry in the cosmos.

Bio:

B.Sc. in Geoscience - University of Copenhagen

Ph.D. in geological and planetary sciences - Caltech

Heising-Simons 51 Pegasi b postdoc - MIT

July 2025 - Assistant Professor at Stanford 

Mission involvement: sample scientist on Perseverance rover, science team member of SHERLOC instrument, previously strategic planning for Perseverance rover, previously science team for Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Lunar Trailblazer

Generally work on formation and evolution of planetary bodies (mostly known for Mars but broadening out here at Stanford) as informed through their chemical composition, utilizing spectroscopic and mass spectrometric instrumentation. Part of my work at Stanford will be to work on chemical instrument development for space missions.