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Development
of astrobiological instruments
* Design of new instrumentation for life detection
experiments in aqueous environments
* Identification of biomarkers
Long-term biogeochemical monitoring of subglacial
environments
Skills needed: Experience in the design and construction of instrumentation.
Collaborating with: Taylor, Gaidos, McMurtry Equipment avail: Access
to a 2000m deep sea cryobot with water ice drill.
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Development
of collaborative multidisciplinary computing techniques in astrobiology.
Skills needed: Programming skills (Java/C++/other) with an interest
in collaborative computing and/or artificial intelligence. Collaborating
with: all co-Is Equipment avail: Extensive computer network system;
access to Maui High performance computing facility. |
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Experimental
and field investigation of indigenous microbiota and energetics of
potential metabolic pathways in ocean crust and mantle rocks as analogs
for early Earth habitats.
* Identification, isolation and functionality
of extremophiles at seafloor eruptive events
* Cruises to the Mariana forearc to investigate microbial communities
in ultramafic subduction hot springs
* Microbial colonization of lava-seawater generated plumes as analogs
for early Earth habitats
* Serpentinizing seafloor as methane source and habitat for life
on early Earth
Skills needed: Familiarity with basic analyses
of seawater based fluids, microbial molecular genetic techniques,
and thermodynamic modeling of fluid-rock solution systems. Collaborating
with: Mottl, Gaidos Equipment avail: Access to the Ridge2000 - event
detection and response system, the Hawaii undersea research laboratory
which includes 2 deep diving submersibles, and an ROV.
Please visit my current project website - Exploring the Deep Subseafloor
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Eric's research includes a wide range of topics in the fields of evolutionary
biology, exobiology, and the planetary sciences. He is interested in the
coupled climatic, geochemical, and biological dynamics of the Earth system
during the rise of atmosheric oxygen and the emergence and early
diversification of animals. His group and its collaborators are studying
placazoans, among the simplest known animals and only described members of a
phylum that branches near the base of the tree of animal life. Eric is also
interested in the earliest period of Earth history prior to a rock record when
life first emerged, and he leads the biological exploration of subglacial
volcanic habitats as analogs to early Earth and Mars. He and his group also
conduct theoretical and observational studies of the formation, evolution,
habitability and detection of extrasolar planets, particularly planets on close
orbits about their parent stars. Eric directs the Planetary and Evolutionary
Biology Laboratory (PEBL) in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences and Technology.
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Ion Microprobe, cosmochemistry
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Studies
of small solar system primitive bodies (including both IR spectra,
and isotopic studies).
* Optical/IR observation of distant icy bodies
* Submillimeter spectroscopic observations, comet isotopic studies
* Discovery and characterization (chemical composition) of near
Earth objects.
Skills needed: Astronomical observing experience,
in particular infrared spectroscopy in search of spectral signatures
in icy bodies. Collaborating with: Owen, Meech, Kaiser, Bar-Nun
Equipment avail: Competitive access to Mauna Kea and Haleakala observatories.
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Formation and measurement of astrobiologically
important molecules such as sugars, aminoacids, carboxylic acids,
carbon homologoues, hopanes, steranes, and head to head isoprenoids,
as well as interpretation of the redox environment as it pertains
to life in water-rich extraterrestrial ice analog samples.
* Combined experimental and observational investigation how sugars
and aminoacids together with their precursors are synthesized via
interaction of charge-particle and UV-radiation in extraterrestrial,
water-rich samples.
Skills
needed: reaction dynamics, photochemistry, charged and neutral particle
sources and ultra-high vacuum technology Collaborating with: Ehrenfreund,
Bar-Nun, Owen, Meech Equipment avail: Ultra high vacuum surface
scattering machine |
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Evolution and diversity of microorganisms, especially
those living in extreme and unusual Earth environments
* Investigation of microbes in Lake Kauhako a deep meromictic lake
* Access to open ocean habitats at Station ALOHA
* Chemical and biological comparison of subglacial lakes in Iceland
and Antarctica
* Investigation of psychrophilic bacteria in ice mesocosms (Lake
Vostok)
Skills
needed: Molecular Biology and microbiology techniques. Collaborating
with: Gaidos Equipment avail: R/V Kilo Moana research vessel with
deep and shallow water multi beam echo sounder,, computer labs,
chemistry, wet and meteorology labs. |
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Isotopic
studies of water in chondritic, cometary and interstellar materials
to constrain origin of water in inner solar system
* Mineralogy,
petrology and isotope (D/H) chemistry of aqueously-altered carbonaceous
chondrites
* secondary mineralization resulting from aqueous processes
* Experimental study of D-enrichment in extraterrestrial water ice
analog using charged particles and tunable UV-radiation
Skills needed:
Experience with scanning and transmission electron microscopy, electron
and ion microprobes; experience in geo/cosmochemistry or physicochemistry.
Collaborating with: Krot, Scott, Owen Equipment avail: electron
microprobe, X-ray spectrometer, extensive esperimental petrology
labs and equipment, ion microprobe.
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Meteoritics,
chondrites
Collaborating with: Keil, Scott
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Maintenance
and development of astronomical infrastructure.
Skills needed: Astronomical observing, modelling. Collaborating with:
All co-Is. Equipment avail: Competitive access to Mauna Kea and Haleakala
observatories. |
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Understanding
volatile abundances of comets, evolution of volatile and organic materials.
* Optical/IR observation of distant icy bodies
* Spectral modelling, and thermal modelling of Icy bodies
Skills needed: Astronomical observing (spectroscopy,
imaging, IR), astronomical image processing, databases, thermal
modelling, outreach. Space mission experience. Collaborating with:
Jewitt, Kaiser, Owen, Bar-Nun, Prialnik, Kadooka, Taylor Equipment
avail: Competitive access to Mauna Kea and Haleakala observatories.
Involvement in Deep Impact comet mission.
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Experimental
and field investigation of indigenous microbiota and energetics of
potential metabolic pathways in ocean crust and mantle rocks as analogs
for early Earth habitats.
* Identification, isolation and functionality
of extremophiles at seafloor eruptive events
* Cruises to the Mariana forearc to investigate microbial communities
in ultramafic subduction hot springs
* Microbial colonization of lava-seawater generated plumes as analogs
for early Earth habitats
* Serpentinizing seafloor as methane source and habitat for life
on early Earth
Skills needed: Familiarity with basic analyses
of seawater based fluids, microbial molecular genetic techniques,
and thermodynamic modeling of fluid-rock solution systems. Collaborating
with: Cowen, Hammer, Gaidos Equipment avail: Access to the Ridge2000
- event detection and response system, the Hawaii undersea research
laboratory which includes 2 deep diving submersibles, and an ROV.
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Understanding
the origin and delivery of terrestrial planetary water
* Measurement of D/H ratios in comets and planetary
atmospheres
* Planetary nobel gas abundance measurements
* Isotope equilibria and fractionation in the solar nebula - modelling
Skills needed: Modeling of upper atmospheric chemistry
and physics; astronomical observing; solar nebula modeling. Collaborating
with: Jewitt, Keil, Krot, Scott, Meech, Taylor Equipment avail:
Competitive access to Mauna Kea and Haleakala observatories. Involvement
in Cassini Saturn Mission and Rosetta comet mission.
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Quantify
the presence of water in interstellar clouds and define the types
of environments in which water will exist. This will be accomplished
via
* IR observations of water ice absorption in background
stars
* Sub-mm observations of water-chemistry in protoplanetary disks
* Hot water emission (spectroscopy) of disks
* VLA interferometric observations of water masers in disks
Skills needed: sub-mm observational expertise,
IR observing, interferometry; research ability in star formation
or circumstellar disks Collaborating with: J. Williams, C. Ceccarelli
Equipment avail: Competitive access to Mauna Kea and Haleakala observatories.
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Meteoritics, Petrology, cosmochemistry
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Aqueous
alteration on Mars
* Development of predictive models for transport
and state of water on Mars
* Observation of products of hydrothermal alteration on Mars
* Models and observation of weathering and sedimentation processes
Skills needed: Astronomical observing; Analysis
of remote sensing of terrestrial surface and atmosphere. Outreach.
Collaborating with: Gaidos, Owen, Anderson, Meech Equipment avail:
Competitive access to Mauna Kea and Haleakala observatories. Involvment
in Mars missions.
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Imaging and spectroscopy of protostellar cores and disks
at sub-millimeter wavelengths to measure the dust content and molecular
composition thereof.
Some or all of the following skills are desirable
* sub-millimeter observational experience,
* radio interferometry
* radiative transfer and astrochemical modeling
Collaborating with: Reipurth, Gaidos, Krot, Jewitt, Owen
Equipment available: competitive acess to sub-millimeter
facilities on Mauna Kea (CSO
JCMT
SMA). |
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