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About

Tomohiro Usui is a leading planetary scientist whose work bridges the fields of astrobiology, sample return mission design, and extraterrestrial geochemistry. His research focuses on the origin and preservation of organic matter on Mars, the development of sampling technologies for small bodies, and the analysis of pristine extraterrestrial materials. Usui made a landmark contribution in 2020 by demonstrating the in-situ preservation of nitrogen-bearing organics in Noachian Martian carbonates, a finding that reshapes our understanding of organic material on ancient Mars and has garnered 35 citations. He is a key figure in JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, where he leads the development of the Pneumatic Sampler (P-Sampler) and the corer shooter—innovative tools designed to capture surface material from Phobos. Usui has also championed the scientific return of Martian airfall dust as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign, emphasizing its relevance for future human missions. His work on noble gas mass spectrometry for Hayabusa2 samples further showcases his expertise in analyzing micro-samples from asteroid return missions. With over 75 citations across his most-cited papers, Usui’s contributions are shaping the next generation of planetary exploration.