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About

Dr. Sarah L. Castro-Wallace is a pioneering astrobiologist and space biologist whose research sits at the critical intersection of sustainable space exploration and planetary protection. Her work addresses two fundamental challenges for humanity’s future beyond Earth: how to grow food in space and how to prevent biological contamination during crewed missions to Mars. In her highly-cited 2022 perspectives paper (38 citations), she identified key gaps for large-scale crop production on the Moon and Mars, highlighting the need for advanced automation and machine learning to overcome microgravity’s effects on plant growth. Her 2024 work (19 citations) tackles the equally vital challenge of planetary protection, ensuring that human exploration of Mars does not compromise scientific integrity or Earth’s biosphere. Dr. Castro-Wallace also led the groundbreaking Biomolecule Sequencer Project (2016), demonstrating nanopore sequencing as a dual-use tool for both crew health monitoring and astrobiology investigations aboard the International Space Station. Her research uniquely bridges practical engineering constraints with fundamental biological questions, making her a leading voice in preparing for humanity’s next giant leap—sustainable, responsible human presence on Mars.