Fall 2017

We are thrilled to welcome our newest members of the UWAB Community!

Postdocs

Baptiste Journaux

Dr. Baptiste Journaux researches the physical properties of high pressure ices, the interior structure of icy worlds, and the habitability of deep extraterrestrial oceans. His previously studied glaciers and the deformation of polar ice caps following his graduate studies in experimental and theoretical mineral physics and planetary interiors. He currently works with Astrobiology Faculty member Prof. Mike Brown in the Earth and Space Sciences department of the UW.

Kimberly (Kim) Bott

Dr. Kimberly Bott hails from the mysterious island of Whidbey, following many years of travel and study at the University of New South Wales (where she worked with Dr. Jeremy Bailey), the Air Force Maui Optics Site, Gemini North, and the University of Hawai'i's Institute for Astronomy. Currently, Dr. Bott investigates how to identify surface and atmospheric biosignatures and habitability markers using polarimetry. She is a member of the Virtual Planetary Laboratory at UW, working with Astrobiology Program Director Prof. Victoria Meadows.

Mackenzie (Kenzie) Day

Dr. Mackenzie Day works with Astrobiology Faculty member Dr. David Catling from the Earth and Space Sciences department at UW. She studies planetary geomorphology with a focus on aeolian processes on Earth and Mars. Her PhD is from the University of Texas-Austin. She spent her undergraduate years at Caltech. Following her postdoc experience at UW, Dr. Day will be joining the faculty at UCLA.

Shintaro Kadoya

Dr. Shintaro Kadoya also works with Prof. David Catling, researching how geophysical and geochemical processes impact the evolution and history of Earth and Earth-like planets. He completed his PhD and Postdoc at the University of Tokyo.

Astrobiology Graduate Students

Guadalupe (Lupita) Tovar

Guadalupe (Lupita) Tovar graduated from the University of Washington with a major in Astronomy and Physics and was named a Husky 100 student. During her undergraduate career, she worked with Astronomy & Astrobiology student Jake Lustig-Yaeger and Astrobiology Program Director Prof. Meadows. She is working with Prof. Meadows for her graduates studies, and her research interests include using theoretical models and observations to characterize potentially habitable exoplanets.

Dominic Sivitilli

Dominic Sivitilli graduated from UW with a B.S. in Biology and Psychology. He worked in the plant microbiology laboratory of Astrobiology Faculty member Prof. Sharon Doty as an undergaduate. With Prof. Doty and Dr. John Freeman at NASA Ames he worked on techniques to promote tolerance of plants to the conditions of the Martial regolith, with long-term implications for Mars colonization. Dominic is currently a graduate student with Dr. David Gire in the Psychology Department and is a scientific diver for the UW. His research is on the neural basis for decision making and behavior in the octopus. He hopes to implement these strategies in artificially intelligent systems.

Zachary (Zack) Cohen

Zachary Cohen hails from Chicago, where he spent the last 4 years studying integrative biology and physics at the University of Chicago, Urbana-Champaign. At UW, he is pursuing a PhD in Chemistry and a graduate certificate in Astrobiology with Prof. Catling, and plans to study how lifelike properties could emerge from abiotic chemical systems.

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