Participant Bios

Erica Barlow

Penn State University

Dr. Erica Barlow is based at Pennsylvania State University, where she is a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow with the Laboratory for Agnostic Biosignatures. Erica specialises in morphological, textural, and isotopic biosignatures in rocks from the early Earth. Her current research utilises field observations and a range of analytical lab techniques to explore the concept of past agnostic biosignatures (universal signs of life in rocks), to contribute to the search for life ‘as we don’t know it’ elsewhere.

Michael Benson

Author and artist

Michael Benson’s work focuses on the intersection of art and science. An author and artist, in the last decade Benson has staged a series of large-scale shows of digitally reconstructed planetary landscape photography in major museums internationally. His last book, Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece, was published by Simon & Schuster on the 50th anniversary of the release of 2001: A Space Odyssey in April 2018. 

Dani Buchheister

Penn State

Dani (she/her/hers) is a first year PhD student advised by Dr. Jennifer Macalady in the geosciences department at Penn State. Driven by astrobiological questions, Dani studies some of Earth’s coolest microbes and how they interact with their environments and each other. She’s currently studying a unique biofilm found in the anoxic layers of cave lakes in Italy.

Ashika Capirala

Purdue University

Ashika is a second-year PhD student working with Dr Stephanie Olson at the Purdue Habitability and Biosignatures (PHaB) Lab. She is currently exploring the links between planetary evolution, oxygenation on Earth (and beyond), and the marine biosphere using 3D biogeochemical, oceanographic, & climate modeling, and is broadly interested in complex habitability and the co-evolution of life and the environment.

David Catling

University of Washington, Seattle

An adjunct professor at University of Washington, David Catling does research under the broad umbrellas of planetary science, geobiology or astrobiology. In addition to his extensive scholarly work, he is the author of Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction, published by Oxford University Press.

Mark Claire

Blue Marble Space Institute of Science

I’m an astrobiologist with interests in atmospheric evolution, isotope geochemistry, and biosignatures.  I’ve recently quit academia to become an independent scientist and I couldn’t be more happy.

Charles Cockell

University of Edinburgh

Astrobiologist with an interest in the interface between microbiology and planetary sciences/astronomy. Do lab and field-based work. 

Jaime Cordova

University of Wisconsin, Madison

I’m currently a graduate student in the Department of Genetics at UW-Madison and minoring in Life Sciences Communication. My research focuses on the genome evolutionary response of facultative anaerobe bacteria to varying oxygen levels. In addition to my research, I am also passionate about science outreach, particularly in astronomy and biology. I conduct outreach as a Solar System Ambassador on behalf of NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Daniela de Paulis

IAA Permanent SETI Committee

Daniela de Paulis is a media artist exhibiting internationally. Her artistic practice is informed by Space in its widest meaning. She is currently Artist in Residence at the SETI Institute and Artist in Residence at the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia, with the support of the Baruch Blumberg Fellowship in Astrobiology. 

Julia DeMarines

UC Berkeley & BMSIS

Julia is a graduate student in the Earth and Planetary Science department at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on astrobiology-related topics such as biosignature and technosignature detection, the ethics of METI, and quantifying the impact of educational/outreach endeavors.

Nadia Drake

Freelance Science Journalist

Nadia Drake is a freelance science journalist and former contributing writer at National Geographic. She specializes in covering astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science, as well as anything involving jungles and spiders. Nadia has a PhD in genetics from Cornell University, and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. When she’s not working, Nadia is probably tasting sparkling wine, clinging to the side of a rock face, or snuggled up with her pup.

Juliana Drozd

Penn State University

Juliana is PhD student working on applying position-specific isotope analysis to lipid biomarkers in order to learn more about the metabolic functions of ancient organisms. She is interested in interrogating the rock record to treat Precambrian life as an analog for astrobiological studies.

Emma Enos

Penn State University

An avid caver, Emma Enos is a Geobiology undergraduate student at Penn State University.

Pinchen Fan

Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Penn State University

I am a rising second-year Ph.D. student in astronomy at Penn State. I work on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence by looking for infrared laser emissions and radio emissions. 

Ligia Fonseca Coelho

Cornell University

Lígia has a background in microbiology and a PhD in Bioengineering/Astrobiology from the MIT Portugal Program/Técnico.  She is interested in the study of biosignatures with a focus on biological pigments, extreme environments, and planetary field analogs. Lígia’s interests extend to innovation and space biology. In 2019, Lígia was the co-author of the winning space biology payload project that flew on-board of the New Shepard (Blue Origin) to study the effect of microgravity in photosynthesis, and in 2022 she was the co-author of a second winning payload project to study the effect of the space environment in medical devices for women’s health, that will fly later 2022 on-board of the rocket Baltasar (Técnico, Portugal). In 2022, Lígia was the only Portuguese awarded with a Fulbright Schuman for scholars. Her research project at Cornell University will focus on the study and creation of databases of colorful biosignatures to serve as a tool for space missions searching for extra-terrestrial life.

Aminatta Forna

Lannan Center, Georgetown University

Aminatta Forna is a novelist, memoirist and essayist. She is currently at work on a book about the Great African Rift Valley, Rift: In Search of Eden. She is a professor of creative writing and Director of the Lanan Center at Georgetown University. 

Megan Gialluca

University of Washington, Dept of Astronomy & Astrobiology Program

Megan Gialluca is a 2nd year PhD student studying astronomy & astrobiology at the University of Washington. She is particularly interested in atmospheric modeling, and is currently working on modeling atmospheric escape on the TRAPPIST-1 planets. Besides science, she likes to ski and snowboard, cook and bake, and pet dogs.

Bethan Gregory

Laboratory for Atmospheric & Space Physics, University of Colorado Boulder

I am a postdoc with research interests in planetary atmospheric evolution. My current work focuses on modeling nonthermal hydrogen escape from Mars’ upper atmosphere. For my PhD, at the University of St Andrews, I used a photochemical model of the early Earth’s atmosphere to better constrain O2 levels over geological history.

Chelsea Haramia

University of Bonn; Spring Hill College

Dr. Chelsea Haramia is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Spring Hill College, USA and Senior Research Fellow with the Center for Science and Thought at the University of Bonn, Germany. Her research focuses on the intersections of science, technology, and values, and she is the author of several articles and book chapters on space exploration, astrobiology ethics, and the search for extraterrestrial technology—as well as public philosophy news articles and outreach.

Sonny Harman

NASA Ames Research Center

My research focuses predominantly on simulating the atmospheric chemistry of Earth-sized planets with 1-D and 3-D numerical tools. In particular, I have worked on the changes to Earth’s atmospheric oxygen over time, as well as in understanding the conditions under which oxygen can accumulate without life being present.

Saito Hikari

Tohoku University, Japan

My study focus on Archean Geology and Geochemistry. Especially I am interested in evolution of life. Jet lag is hard on me, so please be gentle.

Fatima Husain

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

I am a current Ph.D. candidate studying geobiology and astrobiology at MIT with my PIs Roger Summons and Gregory Fournier. Most days, I’m either in the lab, telling stories about ancient environments through organic geochemistry, at my computer researching the evolution of microbes in Earth’s history, working with the MIT-Nord Anglia Collaboration, sharing the exciting research conducted at MIT with K-12 students around the world through videos and webinars, or in Providence, Rhode Island, working with the team at Possibly.

Aoshuang Ji

Department of Geosciences, Penn State University

I am a PhD student from James Kasting group in the Department of Geosciences at Penn State. I work on the Earth’s atmosphere evolution with the 1-D photochemical model. I joined Tieyuan Zhu’s group at PSU in 2017, pursuing PhD in Geophysics. But I switched to the current research in 2019 with earning a Master degree for my research in geophysics.  

Benjamin Johnson

Iowa State University

Ben is a geologist and geochemist with broad interests that span Earth History and Earth System Science. He uses a variety of rock archives, including chemical sediments, glacial tills, and igneous rocks as records of the interactions between life, the oceans, the atmosphere, and the solid Earth over deep time. He uses field work, analytical and isotope geochemistry, and numerical modeling to investigate deep time questions about Earth history. He is also interested in astrobiology and planetary science!

Lisa Kaltenegger

Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University

Lisa Kaltenegger is the Director of the Carl Sagan Institute to Search for Life in the Cosmos at Cornell and Associate Professor in Astronomy. Her research focuses on rocky planets circling other stars, with a focus on potentially Earth-like exoplanets in the Habitable Zone. Kaltenegger serves among others on the National Science Foundation’s Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC), and on NASA senior review of operating missions. She is a Science Team Member of NASA’s TESS Mission as well as the NIRISS instrument on JWST. 

Nancy Kiang

NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies

Dr. Kiang conducts research on land-based biosphere-atmosphere interactions, photosynthesis as a source for exoplanet biosignatures, and exoplanet habitability.   She is the principal developer of the dynamic global vegetation model coupled to the NASA GISS Earth System Model ModelE, to investigate the role of vegetation in climate and the carbon cycle;  manager of the Virtual Planetary Laboratory Biological Pigments Database; and core developer for the ROCKE-3D exoplanet climate model.

Ravi Kopparapu

NASA Goddard

Ravi Kopparapu is a planetary scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Joshua Krissansen-Totton

University of Washington

I model the evolution of terrestrial planets to understand their habitability prospects and biosignature potential. In particular, I am interested in the redox evolution of lifeless terrestrial exoplanets and abiotic oxygen accumulation.

Émilie Laflèche

Purdue University

2nd year Ph.D. student in Purdue University’s Habitability and Biosignatures (PHaB) Lab, studying biospheric seasonality on early Earth and Earth-like exoplanets. Also an analog astronaut, having commanded an analog lunar mission last year at LunAres Research Station in Poland.

Max Lechte

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University

I am a geologist interested in using the sedimentology and geochemistry of the ancient rock record in order to reconstruct environmental conditions in Earth’s history. In particular, I use chemical sedimentary rocks to gain insight into the redox conditions of early eukaryote habitats, in order to better understand the relationship between environmental change and eukaryotic evolution during the Proterozoic Eon.

Jingjun Liu

Yale 

I am a 3rd year PhD candidate studies the coevolution of life on Earth and Earth’s atmosphere. I studied Philosophy and Math at Penn State as an undergrad. 

Jennifer Macalady

Penn State University

Dr. Jennifer Macalady is a microbial ecologist and Professor of Geosciences. Her research is focused on understanding interactions between microbes and planetary materials (rocks, water, gasses), and on understanding the limits to microbial life.

Eric Mamajek

NASA ExEP/JPL

Since 2016, I’ve been Deputy Program Chief Scientist of the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) at the program office at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. My main research background is on topics related to stars, substellar objects, exoplanets, and disks, and I’ve been an author on about ~200 refereed papers on these subjects. I’m interested in learning more about the exoplanet science cases and metrics that may factor into the design of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), the 6-meter-class UV/visible/near-IR space telescope concept recommended by the Astro2020 Decadal Survey that will search for nearby Earth-like exoplanets and biosignatures. 

Elisa Merz

Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

I am a Biogeochemist interested in microbial mats and benthic nutrient cycles. During my PhD I manly focussed on the dark side of diatoms and their metabolic pathways in the absence of light.  Fran Meyer Penn State I’m a first-year PhD student working with Dr. Kimberly Lau. My project involves characterizing uranium speciation in marine rocks to advance the use of the uranium isotope paleoredox proxy. I hope to learn about the astrobiology implications of my work during the conference. 

Dan Mills

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

Dan Mills is a geobiologist working on the co-evolutionary history of Earth’s surface environment and Earth’s earliest ‘complex’ organisms (eukaryotes). To do this, Dan studies the physiological and ecological responses of modern marine organisms to varying environmental parameters, such as dissolved oxygen (O2) concentration. Dan then compares these data to information gathered from the geologic record to test various scenarios concerning the co-evolution of Earth and life over time.

Kaushik Mitra

Stony Brook University 

Kaushik is an experimental aqueous geochemist. He is working on oxyhalogen species and the halogen cycle on Mars. He will be joining as an assistant professor in EPS at UT San Antonio in Fall 2023.

Stephanie Olson

Purdue University

Dr. Stephanie Olson is the PI of the Purdue Habitability and Biosignatures Lab and studies the co-evolution of life and environment on Earth to guide our search for life elsewhere in the Universe. Research topics include Earth’s oxygenation, planetary habitability, and exoplanet life detection.

José Orench-Benvenutti

The Ohio State University

I’ve been passionate about astrobiology since reading NASA’s Astrobiology Roadmap 2008 and decided to pursue a career in astrobiology. I earned my MS in Biological Sciences in 2022 working on Far-Red Oxygenic Photosynthesis with Dr. Wes Swingley and Dr. Mary N. Parenteau. Most recently I was accepted to work in Origin of Life chemistry in hydrothermal vent systems with Dr. Zita Martins and Dr. Sean F. Jordan Roger Ort Penn State University Biogeochemist and geoscience graduate student pursuing a PhD; working with Jenn in the Macalady lab on acid mine drainage microbial consortia, sulfur cycling, and metabolic modeling in acid pit lakes. 

Rebecca Payne

Cornell University

I received my PhD in Geosciences and Astrobiology from Penn State University. I am interested in the evolution of planetary atmospheres, both for Earth throughout its history and for other potentially habitable worlds. My research utilizes photochemical and climate models to study how interactions between solar radiation, surface processes, and life can influence climate and atmospheric chemistry.  My previous research focused on the climate of early Earth—in particular, constraining atmospheric carbon dioxide during the Archean Eon, and exploring changes in oxygen over time—and early Mars.

Rafe Pomerance

Woodwell Climate Research Center

My career includes more than four decades focused on climate change policy including a decade(85-93) with the World Resources institute and six years (93-99) as a Deputy Assistant  Secretary of State for Environment and Development. Areas of focus have  included organizing congressional hearings with key scientists, global negotiations, and communicating the unraveling of the Arctic. My work was described in an article called ‘Losing Earth’ in the New York Times Magazine (8/18). I live now about an hour north of Green Bank in Seneca Rocks, WV.

Sukrit Ranjan

University of Arizona Lunar & Planetary Laboratory

I am a theorist and modeler focused on questions related to the origin of life on Earth and the search for life on other worlds. These questions are coupled: efforts to understand the origin of life on Earth helps guide our search for it elsewhere in the cosmos, while observations of other planets help us test our theories of the prebiotic environment and of abiogenesis. To understand abiogenesis, I work to constraining the palette of environmental conditions from which life arose on Earth, to constrain and guide experimental studies of the origin of life. To search for life elsewhere, I work to determine observational tests by which life on other worlds may be remotely discriminated. In collaboration with my experimental colleagues, I work to obtain the critical measurements of fundamental physico-chemical parameters required to build robust models in support of both goals.

Bridget Reheard

Penn State University

Bridget is an Hydrogeology undergraduate at Penn State University, currently researching biotic responses to the McCoy-Linn dam removal. She is the secretary for the Wildlife Society Penn State Chapter. as well as a member of the Chesapeake Bay Club, Gamma Sigma Delta Honors Society, and the Coalition to Save Old Crow Wetland.  

Martine Rothblatt

United Theraputics

Martine Rothblatt is the founder of United Therapeutics and Sirius XM, and the benefactor of the 2023 Green Bank Observatory Astrobiology Conference. She is a lawyer, author, entrepreneur, and transgender rights advocate, and has experience in astronomy, satellite communications, biopharmaceutical technology, and aviation. She currently serves as the chairwoman of the board of United Therapeutics.

Hikari Saito

Tohoku University

Hikari Saito is and undergraduate student at Tohuku University, and focuses on researching the biota and marine environment of the Earth’s surface 2.7 to 3.5 million years ago.

McCullen Sandora

Blue Marble Space Institute of Science

McCullen Sandora received his Ph.D in theoretical cosmology from California Davis. He’s worked dark matter, dark energy, the early universe, the nature of gravity, and the multiverse. Currently he is a researcher at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, where he works on the intersection of astrobiology and cosmology, models of habitability and strategies for biosignature searches.

Matt Schaub

Associated Universities

Matt Schaub is the Director of External Affairs and Strategic Communications at Associated Universities, Inc.

Martin Schlecker

University of Arizona

Martin Schlecker’s research circles around the demographics and formation history of exoplanets with a special focus on planetary systems around M dwarfs. He combines simulations of planet formation and evolution with population-level data to investigate which systems are most likely to harbor habitable worlds. Martin received his PhD from the University of Heidelberg and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy before joining Prof. Daniel Apai’s group at the University of Arizona.

Tejinder Singh

Desert Research Institute , Las Vegas (DRI) / University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)

I completed my BS in Agriculture from Punjab Agricultural University in India, and I am now pursuing MS in Microbiology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Concurrently, I am serving as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas where I am working on a very exciting group of desert microbes called lichens and cyanobacteria. The objective of my research is to unravel their ability to withstand severe ionizing radiation and oxidative stress.

Evan Sneed

University of California, Riverside

Evan Sneed (he/him or they/them) is a first year Ph.D. student that uses orbital, photochemical, and climate models to study the long-term habitability of different planets and search for signs of life on other worlds. They are also an observer on the Green Bank Telescope for the University of California, Berkeley’s SETI Research Center, which works in collaboration with Breakthrough Listen.

Georgia Soares

Penn State University

I am a postdoc in the Department of Geosciences at Penn State University. I study the co-evolution of life and environments on early Earth and how we can apply lessons learnt from deep-time to the exploration of life elsewhere. I am particularly interested in how we can use minerals such as apatite to explore the oxygenation of early earth and the types of environments life occupied.

Ken Stedman

Portland State University – Center for Life in Extreme Environments

Ken Stedman calls himself an Astrovirologist. His work focuses on structure, genetics, function and evolution of viruses from extreme environments. 

David Tatel

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia

Judge Tatel has served on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since October 1994. He assumed senior status on May 16, 2022. Judge Tatel co-chairs the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Science, Technology and Law. He is a member of the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In the past, he chaired the boards of The Spencer Foundation and The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Among many other activities, Judge Tatel also previously served on the Board of the Federal Judicial Center and the Judicial Advisory Board of the American Society of International Law. 

Helmut Wiesemeyer

Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy

I obtained my PhD from the University of Bonn a longer time ago than I would care to admit. After 13 years as postdoc and then staff astronomer at the Institut de Radio Astronomie Millimétrique (Grenoble, France), I moved back to Germany and joined in 2010 the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy as SOFIA scientist. The far-infrared spectroscopy and my interest in radiative transfer problems brought me to the study of oxygen emissions in planetary and interstellar environments.

Nicholas Wogan

University of Washington, Seattle

Nick Wogan is a 6th year PhD student in the Earth and Space Sciences Department and Astrobiology Program at the University of Washington. A graduate of the University of Oregon where he majored in Physics. His past research has focused on Electromagnetic geophysics, Seismology, and Geodynamics and his future research interests include thermodynamics and disequilibrium biosignatures. While at UW, Nick has been investigating the evolution of the Hadean, Archean and Proterozoic Earth atmosphere using photochemical and climate models. In his free time Nick enjoys climbing mountains and then skiing down them!  And you might find this interesting, but Nick has never tasted Pepsi or Coke.

Michael Wong

Carnegie Institution for Science

Michael L. Wong is an NHFP Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Earth & Planets Laboratory. His primary scientific interests are planetary atmospheres, habitability, biosignatures, and the emergence of life. In his spare time, he hosts a podcast called Strange New Worlds, which examines science, technology, and culture through the lens of Star Trek.

Jason Wright

Penn State

Wright is a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, a member of the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds, and director of the Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center. He works on a variety of problems related to stars, their planets, and life in the universe, incuding the detection of exoplanets, understanding stellar magnetic fields, and SETI. 

Aubrey Zerkle

Blue Marble Space Institute of Science

Aubrey is a geobiologist and stable isotope geochemist with research interests in astrobiology and early Earth history. She also likes yoga, wine, and cats.

Local Organizing Committee and Attendees

Denotes LOC Member (*)

Jay Lockman*	Lockman received his B.S. from Drexel University and his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and a second postdoc at NRAO before joining the NRAO scientific staff. In 1993 he became Green Bank site director, a position he held for six years before returning to the resident scientific staff in Green Bank. Lockman’s research interests include the structure and evolution of the Milky Way, and the structure of the interstellar medium. He is currently doing studies of gas flows into and out of galaxies, using the Green Bank Telescope and other instruments to make extremely sensitive measurements of neutral hydrogen beyond the disk of the Milky Way.
Will Armentrout*	Will is an astronomer at the Green Bank Observatory and one of the lead organizers for the AstroBio 2023 workshop. He started as a postdoc in Green Bank after finishing his PhD at West Virginia University in 2018 and moved onto the permanent scientific staff in 2020. His research focuses on mapping the spiral structure of the Milky Way using high mass star formation regions as probes throughout the Galaxy. He is the Green Bank lead for radar observations, the 20-meter telescope, student research programs, and astronomer training, and he is also an Officer in US Space Command.
Brenne Gregory*	Brenne is a data analyst at Green Bank Observatory. In addition to science support she works with understanding the RFI Environment at Green Bank. She also works with supporting the 20m telescope, student programs, and training programs.
Evan Smith*	Evan is a data analyst at GBO, and has recently finished a Ph.D program at West Virginia University. He has been working with the Green Bank Observatory on and off for 7 years, starting off as a summer tour guide in 2016. He focuses on real-time radio frequency interference mitigation methods.
Jim Jackson	Jim is the Director of Green Bank Observatory, a role he took on in late 2021. He previously held roles at the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), the University of Newcastle (Australia), and Boston University, among others. His own research focuses on high-mass star formation.
Cat Catlett	Cat is a software engineer at GBO. They started working at GBO in May 2022 after graduating from The University of Texas at Dallas with BS’s in Physics and Mathematics.
Frank Ghigo	Frank is a GBT scientist (RET) specializing in improvements to pointing and reflector surface calibrations for the GBT, and for supporting VLBI and radar observations. Frank received his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin in 1976.  He had postdoctoral positions at Brandeis University and the University of Minnesota and sailed on the Mary Clare before joining NRAO in 1988. Frank’s research interests include high-energy processes in the cores of radio galaxies and quasars, variable radio sources, and X-ray binaries.
Karen O’Neil*	Karen received her BS in Physics from Marlboro College and her Ph.D, (physics) from the University of Oregon. She was an astronomer and postdoctoral research fellow at Arecibo prior to coming to Green Bank Observatory, where she served as director for fifteen years.
Ron Maddalena	Ron received his B.A. (1980) and Ph.D. (1985) from Columbia University and worked for the observatory in Green Bank until his retirement in 2020. He was support scientist for the NRAO 140-ft telescope until 1996. In particular, during that time, he was the project manager and scientist for the UniPOPS data analysis system. Ron’s research interests include molecular clouds, interstellar medium, structure of spiral galaxies, high- redshift molecular emission galaxies, single-dish calibration algorithms, and radio-frequency weather forecasting.
Angela Damery*	Angela is the Public Outreach Manager for the Green Bank Observatory. She has a degree in science communication and has spent the greater part of her career working as an informal educator. She also taught seventh-grade math and science in Plymouth. You can find her out exploring new trails in West Virginia!
Toney Minter	Dr. Toney Minter is the Head of Green Bank Telescope Operations. He provides day-to-day oversight of the operations of the GBT to ensure it provides maximum scientific output.  His duties range from overseeing the instrumentation on the GBT through scheduling the telescope and overseeing the support staff. Minter received his B.S. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.  He came to NRAO as a Jansky Fellow in 1995 and became part of the NRAO scientific staff in 1996. Minter’s research interests include interstellar turbulence and galactic HI.
Jenn Snyder	Jenn is the Communications Analyst at GBO; they recently joined the organization after several years as an editor in the publishing industry. As such, their background is much more science fiction than actual science, and they will happily recommend a new read (or five) to anyone.
Jesse Bublitz	Jesse is a postdoctoral researcher at GBO, where he studies the effects of Ultraviolet and X-ray radiation on the chemistry of nearby evolved stars, planetary nebulae. He utilizes Radio telescopes and interferometers to identify their structure and what drives the formation of molecules that eventually make their way into new star and planetary systems like our own.
Anika Schmiedeke	Anika is an astronomer and has joined GBO a year ago. She studies the earliest stages of star formation (both low- and high-mass) and likes to bridge the worlds of simulations and observations. At GBO she leads the High-Frequency Task Force with the goal to increase high-frequency observing opportunities (~70-116 GHz). She grew up in Germany and has studied at Germany’s oldest universities (Heidelberg *1386 and Cologne *1388) as well as the Max Planck Institutes for Astronomy and extraterrestrial Physics.
David Frayer	GBT scientist specializing in the high frequency (3-4mm) spectral line receivers and instrumentation for the GBT.  David received his PhD from the University of Virginia.  He carried out postdoctoral positions at the University of Toronto and the Caltech Owens Valley Millimeter Array and was a research scientist at the Spitzer Science Center and the NASA Herschel Science Center before joining NRAO in 2009. David’s research interests focuses on Galaxy Evolution, in particular on the molecular gas and dust properties of luminous infrared galaxies in the local and distant Universe.
Glen Langston	Glen Langston is a program manager with the National Science Foundation in the Division of Astronomical Sciences. He lives in Green Bank, and commutes to the NSF offices in northern Virginia for his program responsibilities which include Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Grants and Education and Special Programs in the Astronomical Sciences. He received his Ph.D in physics from MIT.
Paul Vosteen*	Paul is the web and graphic designer for the Green Bank Observatory. He has a BFA in Communication Design from the Atlanta College of Art with a concentration in Graphic Design. Prior to his work with GBO, Paul lived and worked in Germany as a media specialist, did government proposal work for Andersen Consulting and AT&T Solutions, and was a technical illustrator for NASA Langley Research Center. Presently, he collaborates with scientists to create illustrations depicting astronomical phenomena and concepts.
Sue Ann Heatherly*	Sue Ann is the Senior Education Officer at Green Bank and is head of the Education and Public Outreach Division. she is a graduate of West Virginia University with a MA in Secondary Science Education.
Sue Shears*	Sue is the Administrative Assistant for the GBO site. Sue enjoys helping wherever she is needed, including taking the grandchildren to the playground. Sue also enjoys live music, Gin Rummy and planning chili cookoffs.
Mark Barnes*	Mark is one of the GBO office admins and the gatekeeper for the site. He loves skiing, mountain biking, road cycling and playing in the mountains.
Kelsey Brooks*	Kelsey is a General Office Assistant/Shipping & Receiving Clerk at the Green Bank Observatory. Kelsey was raised her whole life here in Pocahontas County.
Doug Honnor*	Doug is the Hospitality Manager at Green Bank Observatory and is in charge of all cafeteria, housing, and café staff and activities.
Christine Plumley*	Christine is the Business Manager at Green Bank. She is a graduate of Davis & Elkins College with a BS in Accounting focused in Accounting and Finance.
Marilyn Creager*	Marilyn is a Systems Administrator at the Green Bank Observatory, and a native Pocahontas County resident. She focuses mainly on IT support and network administration during the day.