People
Members of UKCA
The UKCA has many members that range across its areas of interest in different schools, institutes and centres in the university. Below are the some of the key people associated with the Centre.
Charles Cockell (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Centre Co-Director
Research Area: Life in extreme environments
email: c.s.cockell@ed.ac.uk
Sean McMahon (School of Physics and Astronomy/School of Geosciences)
Centre Co-Director
Research Area: Microbial palaeontology
email: sean.mcmahon@ed.ac.uk
Beth Biller (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Research Area: Exoplanet detection
Geoff Bromiley (School of Geosciences)
Research Area: Planetary interiors/Materials under extreme conditions
Ian Butler (School of Geosciences)
Research Area: Mineral formation, aqueous geochemistry, stable isotope geochemistry and the kinetics and mechanisms of geochemical processes
Ewen Campbell (School of Chemistry)
Research Area: Astrochemistry
Valentina Erastova (School of Chemistry)
Research Area: Origin of Life, chemistry of clays
Chaired Professor, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
Visiting Fellow, University of Edinburgh
Research Area: Atmospheric physics
Paul Palmer (School of Geosciences)
Research Area: Climate, atmospheric modeling
Simon Parsons (School of Chemistry)
Research area: Effects of pressure on molecular compounds
Ken Rice (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Research Area: Planetray discs
Colin Snodgrass (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Research Area: Comets and asteroids
Rafal Szabla (School of Chemistry)
Research Area: Origin of life, prebiotic chemistry of RNA
Martin Sweatman (School of Engineering)
Research Area: Advanced materials, statistical mechanics
Kristina Tamane (School of Geosciences)
Space Business Development Executive
Ian Underwood (School of Engineering)
Integrated nano- and micro-systems
Matjaz Vidmar (School of Social and Political Science)
Research Area: Technoscientific Culture and Space Exploration
Postdoctoral scientists
Adam Stevens (School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh)
Research Area: Mars analogues, biomarker detection, space missions
Research Area: Microbial biofilms, life in extremes, microorganisms in microgravity
Mariangela Bonavita (School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh)
Research Area: Exoplanet research
Research fellows
Rebecca Prescott (School of Physics and Astronomy, University of South Carolina/University of Edinburgh: NSF Fellow)
Research Area: Quroum sensing in microbes, life detection on Mars
Postgraduate students
Liam Perera (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Research Area: Icy moon habitability
Rosie Cane (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Research Area: Modelling life under extremes
Andy Dickinson (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Research Area: Life under multiple extremes
Ophelia Gunn (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Research Area: Aqueous environments on Mars
Stewart Gault (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Research Area: Proteins in extreme/extraterrestrial conditions
Annemiek Waajen (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Research Area: Life under anaerobic conditions/use of organics by life
Philippe Reekie (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Research Area: Preservation of life on Mars
Yuchen Shang (School of Engineering)
Research Area: Sensors for astrobiology development
Prats Desai (School of Engineering)
Research Area: Sensors for astrobiology development
Lab Management
Scott McLaughlin (School of Physics and Astronomy)