Karyn Rogers is an Associate Professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she also directs the Rensselaer Astrobiology Research and Education (RARE) Center. She earned an AB from Harvard University with a double concentration in both Earth & Planetary Sciences and Environmental Science & Public Policy. She received an MS from Stanford University, and an AM and a PhD from Washington University in St. Louis in Earth & Planetary Sciences. Prior to her arrival at RPI in 2013, Karyn previously held positions at the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institute for Science in Washington DC, as well as the University of Missouri and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Karyn’s research interests focus largely on habitability in extreme environments. Exploring everything from microbial diversity and activity, to metabolic reaction energetics, and the synthesis of prebiotic molecules in early Earth environments, Karyn’s research has included field expeditions around the world, as well as the construction of a state-of-the-art high pressure experimental laboratory. Recently Karyn’s research group at RPI, the Habitability and Extreme Life Laboratory, has been focused on the impacts of elevated pressure on microbial growth and physiology, as well as the synthesis of prebiotic polymers in high temperature, high pressure, and geochemically variable conditions.

Kristin Johnson-Finn is an Assistant Professor in Chemistry and Chemical Biology (with a courtesy appointment in Earth and Environmental Sciences) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She earned her BS in Chemistry, with minors in Geology and Mathematics, from Youngstown State University. Kristin received her PhD in Chemistry/Organic Geochemistry from Arizona State University, where she probed the kinetics and mechanisms of organic compounds at hydrothermal conditions. Her current research interests focus on exploring the reaction pathways possible for organic compounds in geologic settings through a combination of experimental studies and thermodynamic modeling.

James Hendler is the Tetherless World Professor of Computer, Web and Cognitive Sciences at Rensselaer and the Founding Director of the Future of Computing Institute. He also is the director of the RPI-IBM Artificial Intelligence Research Collaboration and serves as a member of the Board of the UK’s charitable Web Science Trust. Hendler is a data scientist with specific interests in open government and scientific data, data science for healthcare, AI and machine learning, semantic data integration and the use of data in government. One of the originators of the Semantic Web, he has authored over 450 books, technical papers, and articles in the areas of Open Data, the Semantic Web, artificial intelligence, and data policy and governance. He is also the former Chief Scientist of the Information Systems Office at the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and was awarded a US Air Force Exceptional Civilian Service Medal in 2002. He is the first computer scientist ever to have served on the Board of Reviewing editors for Science. In 2010, Hendler was selected as an “Internet Web Expert” by the US government and helped in the development and launch of the US data.gov open data website. In 2013, he was appointed as the Open Data Advisor to New York State and in 2015 appointed a member of the US Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee. In 2016, became a member of the National Academies Board on Research Data and Information, in 2017 a member of the Director’s Advisory Committee of the National Security Directorate of PNNL, and in 2021 became chair of the ACM’s global Technology Policy Council. Hendler is a Fellow of the US National Academy of Public Administration, the AAAI, AAAS, ACM, BCS and IEEE.

Matthew Pasek is an Professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His research focuses on Phosphorus Chemistry in the Environment, including the effects of phosphate mining, phosphate mineralogy within fertilizer production, identifying specific molecular biochemical pathways of phosphorus, and phosphorus geochemistry. He is also an expert on the effects of lightning on soil, rock and sand working in part to understand the damage caused by electric discharge on various materials. He currently has written over 79 peer-reviewed scientific articles and has been awarded over 4.5M in federal funding, from NASA and NSF.