Haruna Sugahara
Papers
2
Total Citations
42
H-Index
2
About
Haruna Sugahara is a planetary scientist whose work is reshaping our understanding of organic chemistry beyond Earth. Her research centers on the origin and preservation of organic material in the solar system, with a particular focus on Mars and its moons. Sugahara’s most significant contribution came from her 2020 study on “In-situ preservation of nitrogen-bearing organics in Noachian Martian carbonates,” which provided compelling evidence that ancient Martian carbonates can trap and preserve complex organic molecules—including nitrogen-bearing compounds essential for life. This work, cited 35 times, directly addresses one of planetary science’s most pressing questions: how organic matter survives on the harsh Martian surface over billions of years. Sugahara is also a key figure in the JAXA-led Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission, scheduled to launch in 2024. She contributed to the design of the MMX sampler, a specialized corer-shoot system that will collect the first-ever sample from Phobos. Her dual focus—on both the organic record of ancient Mars and the engineering of sample return technology—places her at the forefront of efforts to determine whether the building blocks of life are widespread in the inner solar system.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2The MMX Sampler for Phobos Sample Return Mission7 citations · 2021