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Committee Membership
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Date Posted:
07/21/2008
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Dr. Jack D. Farmer - (Chair)
Arizona State University
Jack D. Farmer is a professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University (ASU) and the director of ASU's Astrobiology Program. His research interests include microbial bio-sedimentology and the evolution of Earth’s early biosphere. He is particularly interested in understanding the factors that control biosignature preservation and how that knowledge can be translated into strategies for the search for evidence of past life on Mars. Prior to joining the faculty at ASU, Dr. Farmer was a research scientist in the Exobiology Branch of NASA’s Ames Research Center. He was instrumental in the selection of the landing sites for Mars Pathfinder and the Mars Exploration Rovers. Dr. Farmer served on the science definition team for the Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter missions. He has chaired the NASA Astrobiology Institute’s Mars Focus Group and the community-based Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group. Dr. Farmer is a Sequoyah Fellow of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. He is a past member of NASA’s Space Sciences Advisory Committee and has served on several NRC boards and committees including the Space Studies Board, the Committee to Review the NASA Astrobiology Institute, the Committee for the Review of NASA Science Mission Directorate Science Plan, and the Committee on an Assessment of Balance in NASA's Science Programs.
Dr. James F. Bell, III
Cornell University
James F. Bell III is an associate professor in the Astronomy Department at Cornell University. His research interests focus on the geology, geochemistry, and mineralogy of planets, asteroids, and comets using data obtained from telescopes and spacecraft missions. He is particularly interested in the use of optical and infrared techniques to study the surface mineralogy and climatic variations of Mars. Prior to joining the faculty at Cornell in 1995, he was an NRC postdoctoral fellow at NASA's Ames Research Center. Dr. Bell is currently the lead scientist for the Pancam color imaging system on the Mars Exploration Rovers. He is also a member of the science teams for Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Mars Science Laboratory rover missions. Dr. Bell Served as a reviewer on several NRC reports.
Dr. Kathleen C. Benison
Central Michigan University
Kathleen C. Benison is an associate professor in the Department of Geology at Central Michigan University. Her research covers the fields of sedimentary geology and geochemistry. She is also involved with deciphering past conditions on Earth's surface, including depositional environments, paleoclimate, and water chemistry. Her other research covers the physical, chemical, and biological processes of modern sediments that can be compared with ancient sediments.
Dr. William V. Boynton
University of Arizona
William V. Boynton is a professor at the Department of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona. Dr. Boynton’s research interests include: mineralogic and trace element studies of meteorites and impact events, internal stratigraphy and provenance of Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sediments, remote-sensing via gamma-ray spectrometry, instrumentation for chemical analysis of planetary surfaces, and Mars surface chemistry. He has been extensively involved in Mars missions since 1984. His gamma ray spectrometer first flew on the ill-fated Mars Observer spacecraft in the early 1990s before being successfully deployed by Mars Odyssey in 2002. He is the principal investigator of the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analysis instrument currently studying the chemical properties of martian surface materials on the Mars Phoenix spacecraft. Dr. Boynton served on the NRC Committee on Planetary and Lunar Exploration and the Committee on the Assessment of Solar System Exploration.
Dr. Sherry L. Cady
Portland State University
Sherry L. Cady is an associate professor at the Center for Life in Extreme Environments in the Department of Geology at Portland State University. She studies microbial behavior and biosignature preservation in extreme ecosystems to better detect life in the geological record. Specifically, she uses a variety of imaging, structural, and chemical analytical methods and focuses on the biochemical interactions between microorganisms and their environment. Her efforts to improve the ability to detect evidence of life in the geological record apply directly to paleobiological studies of life on Earth and astrobiological studies on other planets. She served as an NRC research associate at NASA Ames Research Center (1994-1996), and as principal investigator and research scientist at the SETI Institute (1996-1998). Dr. Cady served on the NRC Committee to Review of the Next Decadal Mars Architecture.
Dr. F. Grant Ferris
University of Toronto
F. Grant Ferris is a professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Toronto and the founding director of the university’s Microbial Geochemistry Laboratory. Dr. Ferris’ research focuses on field studies of mineral precipitation by bacteria in terrestrial hot springs and deep-sea hydrothermal vents and experimental laboratory work on the surface chemistry of bacterial cells. He serves as the chair of the executive board of the International Symposia on Environmental Biogeochemistry, is a founding member of the Canadian Space Agency Astrobiology Working Group and the InterRidge Biogeochemistry Working Group. He has served as an associate editor for the Geomicrobiology Journal, Applied Geochemistry, and Geobiolog
Mr. Duncan MacPherson
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Duncan MacPherson is a Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Fellow, the highest grade of technical expertise recognized by JPL. In this capacity he serves in a variety of roles including chief engineer for spacecraft projects—most recently, the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (2003-2005)—or as a member of project-level review boards. Prior to coming to JPL in 2000, Mr. MacPherson worked as an independent contractor providing senior-level consulting services addressing technical problems relating to systems engineering or multiple engineering disciplines. In this capacity Mr. MacPherson served on project-level review boards for numerous spacecraft, including Galileo and Cassini. From 1965-1989, Mr. MacPherson held a variety of senior technical positions at Hughes Aircraft Company, including chief engineer for the Galileo Probe Project and the Japanese Geostationary Meteorological Satellite. He was also responsible for systems engineering and mission analyses for classified and unclassified programs and proposals.
Dr. Margaret S. Race
SETI Institute
Margaret S. Race is a scientist with the SETI Institute. Her research focuses on planetary protection and ethical considerations of probes seeking to detect life as well as the implications of the possible discovery of life beyond Earth. She works closely with NASA in studying scientific, policy, and public issues associated with solar system exploration. She has served on three major national studies involving planetary protection and recently completed work on several NASA projects related to Mars exploration—one that developed scientific protocols for handling, quarantining, and testing martian samples, and one that analyzed the technical and scientific issues associated with human missions to Mars. She served as an organizer and editor of a series of international workshops on containment and testing protocols for Mars sample return missions and participated in several recent studies of planetary protection for human missions to Mars. Dr. Race has served on several NRC committees including the Committee on Principles of Environmental and Scientific Stewardship for the Exploration Study of Subglacial Lake Environments, the Committee on Preventing the Forward Contamination of Mars, and the Task Group on Issues in Sample Return.
Dr. Mark H. Thiemens
University of California, San Diego
Mark H. Thiemens (NAS) is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and dean of the Division of Physical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He also directs UCSD's Center for Environmental Research and Training. Dr. Thiemens is best known for his discovery of the mass-independent isotope effect, which led to an improved understanding of Earth's atmospheric composition and evolution. In 1998, he received the Ernest O. Lawrence Medal for this discovery. He has developed new insights into atmosphere-surface interaction on Earth and Mars, and stimulated a new approach to theories of isotopic reaction mechanisms. Work in Dr. Thiemens laboratory has concentrated on measurements of anomalous isotope variations in martian meteorites and in the oldest-known rocks on Earth. Dr. Thiemens is currently a member of the editorial board of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Meenakshi Wadhwa
Arizona State University
Meenakshi Wadhwa is the director of the Arizona State Center for Meteorite Studies. Her research interests focus on deciphering the origin and evolution of the solar system and planetary bodies through the use of geochemical and isotopic techniques. She uses high-precision mass spectrometric techniques to investigate a wide range of solar system materials. These include meteorites of martian and asteroidal origin, Moon rocks (from the Apollo missions and lunar meteorites), and other samples returned by spacecraft missions such as Genesis and Stardust. Dr. Wadhwa served on the NRC Committee on the Origins and Evolution of Life and the Committee on an Astrobiology Strategy for the Exploration of Mars.
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Tel:
202.334.2000 
