Biosignatures across Space and Time

This meeting will to bring together astronomers, geologists, biologists and other interested scientists to share interdisciplinary approaches to detect signs of life on early Earth and other celestial bodies, and to elucidate the environmental limits and origins of life. Members of the Centre for Geobiology will be presenting their current research together with our international colleagues and a number of invited speakers.

The conference runs over three days, with the following themes and invited speakers:   

Astronomy, Astrochemistry and Planetary Science

• Janice Bishop, SETI, USA
  Jes Jørgensen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  Nikku Madhusudhan, University of Cambridge, UK
  Xander Tielens, Leiden University, The Netherlands
  J. Hunter Waite, South West Research Institute, USA

Early Evolution of Earth and Life

• Martin Brasier, Oxford University, UK
  Robert Hazen, Carnegie Institution of Washington, USA
  Mark Sephton, Imperial College, UK
  Frances Westall, CNRS, Orleans, France
  Martin Whitehouse, Natural History Museum, Stockholm, Sweden

The Roots and Environmental Limits of Life

• Sherry Cady, Pacific Northwestern Laboratories, USA (chief editor of Astrobiology)
  Charles Cockell, University of Edinburgh, UK
  Chris German, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA
  John Parkes, Cardiff University, UK

There are oral presentation slots available, PhD students and young scientists are strongly encouraged to consider submitting a poster presentation.

Each morning there will be a plenary lecture by leading Astrobiologists summarizing the disciplinary focus for that day: an astronomer, a paleobiologist, and a microbiologist respectively, these are open to all members of the university.

Professor Robert Hazen of the Carnegie Institute Washington will be giving the MatNat Faculty Horizons Lecture as part of the conference programme, this is aimed at the wider scientific and public audience.

For further information about the conference including the programme and session titles please see the conference website.

Abstract submission and Conference Registration Deadline March 31st

 Conference organizers are Drs. Nicola McLoughlin and Eugene Grosch (University of Bergen, local hosts) and Dr. Wolf Geppert (Stockholm University, coordinator of the Nordic Network of Astrobiology)