2016

Ken is the Deputy Project Scientist for the NASA Mars 2020 rover mission, as well as the director of NASA’s Astrobiogeochemistry Laboratory (abcLab) in Pasadena, CA.

The abcLab focuses on the tracing of biologically important elements that show traces of life within the Earth materials within the context of astrobiology (the search for life on other planets). Ken has an extensive history of outreach and service throughout his career.

From 2000-2001, he taught Earth science, life science, and mathematics at Good Hope School in St. Croix. At the University of Washington, Ken’s alma mater, he has served on both the technology and curriculum committees. Ken has done a vast amount of work to help children better understand the world in which they live – he’s run a 48 hour camp for students in Seattle to discover biodiversity, conducted an outreach trip to the Pilbara to present an overview of astrobiology to high school students, and has run a 6 week NASA/NEA program for middle school students.