Mars Through the Ages Public Talk at Caltech’s Sharp Lecture Hall June 2 (Photo – kiss.caltech.edu)
Mars has become one of the most intensely studied destinations in planetary science, with rovers, landers, and orbiters transforming humanity’s understanding of the Red Planet.
By Melanie Hooks
On June 2, the public will have an opportunity to hear directly from two leading scientists working at the forefront of Mars research during a free lecture event at the California Institute of Technology.
The event will take place from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm at Caltech’s Robert P. Sharp Lecture Hall in the Arms Laboratory Building, Pasadena, CA 91125. A reception featuring Dr. Bonnie Teece of Cornell University and Dr. Brandi Carrier of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will begin at 4:30 pm, followed by lectures at 5:00 p.m.
The presentations will explore the latest discoveries about Mars, including whether the planet once hosted, or could still host, conditions capable of supporting life.
Dr. Teece will open the program with a discussion of Martian geochemistry and the organic molecules identified on the planet’s surface. Her lecture will examine how ancient organic materials, some billions of years old, may have been preserved and whether similar materials could survive on Mars today.
Her research focuses on organic biosignature detection and the challenge of distinguishing biological signals from non-biological processes. Teece studies how evidence of life is preserved on Earth and other planetary bodies, with fieldwork spanning hydrothermal systems, early Earth rocks, and Mars-analogue environments in locations including Yellowstone National Park, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific Ocean.
Teece also served as one of the science architects for the Mars Sample Return mission and held a leadership role in the Search for Life Science Analysis Group, which investigated methods for detecting modern life in Mars’ icy mid-latitudes. She earned her doctorate at the Australian Centre for Astrobiology at UNSW Sydney and later completed a postdoctoral fellowship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory before joining Cornell University’s Department of Astronomy faculty.
Following Teece’s presentation, Dr. Carrier will review past and current Mars missions, including NASA’s Perseverance rover and the samples it is currently collecting on the Martian surface. She will also discuss future mission concepts and long-term plans for Mars astrobiology exploration.
Carrier serves as a Formulation Scientist and Science Systems Engineer in the Mars Exploration Program Office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She previously worked as Lead Sample Integrity Scientist for the Mars Sample Return Program and as Deputy Project Scientist for the Mars Sample Receiving Project.
She also recently co-chaired the MEPAG Search for Life Mission Science Analysis Group. Carrier earned her PhD from Tufts University and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she worked on the SHERLOC instrument aboard the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.
The lecture is free to attend, though registration is required.
For additional information, attendees may contact Antonio Soriano at asoriano@caltech.edu or visit the Keck Institute for Space Studies Lecture Series website.
Keck Institute for Space Sciences Talk: Mars through the Ages Tuesday, June 2, 2026 4:30 pm Reception 5:00 pm Lecture Location Caltech Arms Laboratory Building Arms 155 (Robert P. Sharp Lecture Hall) Building 25 on Campus Map Pasadena, CA 91125 Free. Register online here.
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