Kyle Uckert

About

Kyle Uckert is a planetary scientist and instrument specialist whose work sits at the intersection of astrobiology, robotic exploration, and in-situ spectroscopy. As a key contributor to NASA’s Perseverance rover mission, Uckert helped develop and operate the SHERLOC instrument—a robotic arm-mounted UV Raman and fluorescence spectrometer that maps organic compounds and minerals on the Martian surface. Their lead-author paper on SHERLOC has garnered over 230 citations, underscoring its foundational role in Mars 2020 science. Uckert has also advanced the search for life beyond Earth by designing instruments and mission concepts for extreme and inaccessible environments, including planetary caves and lava tubes. Their work on the Moon Diver concept and the Mars Astrobiological Cave and Internal Habitability Explorer (MACIE) demonstrates a commitment to exploring subsurface habitats that may preserve biosignatures. Additionally, Uckert has pioneered semi-autonomous methods for removing cosmic ray noise from Raman data, improving the reliability of spectral analysis. Through instrument leadership, field analog deployments, and mission concept development, Uckert continues to shape how we search for life across the Solar System.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Perseverance’s Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) Investigation

   237 citations · 2021
2. 2
   PIXL: Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry

   135 citations · 2020
3. 3
   Fundamental Science and Engineering Questions in Planetary Cave Exploration

   38 citations · 2022
4. 4
   The SHERLOC Calibration Target on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover: Design, Operations, Outreach, and Future Human Exploration Functions

   35 citations · 2022
5. 5
   Investigating Habitability with an Integrated Rock-Climbing Robot and Astrobiology Instrument Suite

   33 citations · 2020
6. 6
   Moon Diver: A Discovery Mission Concept for Understanding the History of Secondary Crusts through the Exploration of a Lunar Mare Pit

   32 citations · 2019
7. 7
   A Semi-Autonomous Method to Detect Cosmic Rays in Raman Hyperspectral Data Sets

   31 citations · 2019
8. 8
   Science and technology requirements to explore caves in our Solar System

   12 citations · 2021
9. 9
   Mars Astrobiological Cave and Internal habitability Explorer (MACIE): A New Frontiers Mission Concept

   8 citations · 2021
10. 10
    The Processing Electronics and Detector of the Mars 2020 SHERLOC Instrument

    6 citations · 2020

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links