Members

The StA-CES Board

Co-Directors:	Emily Finer (Modern Languages/Russian) Martin Dominik (Astronomy)
Treasurer:	V. Anne Smith (Biology)
Recruiting & Educational Matters:	Eva Stüeken (Earth Science)
Junior Member:	Tom Wilson (Astronomy)

Previous board members: Christiane Helling (founding director), Peter Woitke, Ben Sachs, Katherine Hawley, Andrew C Cameron

Dr Derek Ball School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies PURE	Philosophy of mind, Philosophy of language, Philosophy of science	Derek’s work is focused on the foundations of representation. He has written on concepts and concept possession, on theoretical issues about formal semantics, and on consciousness. He also has interests in the philosophy of science, including modelling and measurement. He is the editor, with Brian Rabern, of The Science of Meaning (Oxford University Press 2018).
Dr Adam Bower School of International Relations PURE	International law and governance, space security, disarmament and arms control	Adam studies how international institutions shape the behaviour of states and other actors like rebel groups and transnational corporations. His current project examines the development of international norms regulating the testing, placement, and use of weapons in (and through) space. He is the Co-Director of the Centre for Global Constitutionalism.
Prof Andrew Cameron School of Physics & Astronomy PURE ADS	Exoplanet Transit Search, Stellar Variability	Andrew studies stellar magnetic fields and the discovery and characterisation of extrasolar planets. He is the UK Co-PI of the HARPS-North spectrograph project, analysing high-precision radial-velocity measurements and transit data to push the limits on planetary mass determination down towards the Earth-mass regime.
Dr Claire Cousins School of Earth & Environmental Sciences PURE	Planetary Analogue Research, Robotic Space Exploration, Geobiology	Claire uses planetary analogues on Earth to inform the surface exploration of Mars and icy moons with regard to their past and present habitability, and potential for biosignature preservation. Her main interests lie in understanding volcanically-driven environments using a combination of geochemistry, spectroscopy, and microbial genomics.
Dr Martin Dominik School of Physics & Astronomy PURE ADS	Exoplanet Search by Microlensing, incl. Exo-moons, Robotic Telescopes	Martin exploits the effect of gravitational bending of light for determining the demographics of planets across the Milky Way as well as of the structure of the planetary systems they form. He is moreover interested in what their diversity and abundance means for life on planet Earth and beyond.
Dr Emily Finer School of Modern Languages PURE	Russian culture, Translation, Soviet Union, children’s literature, Russian Formalism	Emily studies culture on the move between the societies and languages of Russia and Eastern Europe and the English-speaking world. She is interested in early Soviet illustrated science books for children, fiction about interplanetary travel, mass produced Russian translations of Jules Verne and HG Wells, and attempts to make the study of literature “more scientific” by categorising plots and quantifying rhyme schemes. She contributed to BBC Radio 4’s Red Mars Series. She is Series Editor for Studies in Comparative Literature (Legenda, Modern Humanities Research Association).
Prof Andy Gardner School of Biology PURE	Social Evolution, Cosmological Natural Selection, Anthropic Bias	Andy works on Darwinian adaptation. Natural selection explains the appearance of design in the living world, but at what level is this design expected to manifest – gene, individual, society – and what is its function? And does Darwin’s logic extend outwith Biology, to concepts of cosmological natural selection and anthropic bias?
Prof Keith Horne School of Physics & Astronomy	Exoplanet Search by Microlensing	PURE ADS
Dr Daniel M. Knight School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies PURE	History and Anthropology, Economic Anthropology, Anthropology of the Future, Anthropology of Crisis, Time and Temporality	Daniel works on futures, emergent ecologies, time, and the limits of cosmopolitanism. He is interested in the Anthropology of Outer Space and science fiction. He is author of The Anthropology of the Future (CUP, 2019), a collection on Orientations to the Future, and is Director of the Centre for Cosmopolitan Studies.
Dr Sami Mikhail School of Earth & Environmental Sciences PURE	Stable Isotope Geochemistry, Experimental and Theoretical Geochemistry & Petrology, Atmosphere-formation	Sami’s research is underpinned by a strong desire to understand the origin and evolution of planetary atmospheres. This means we need to understand the nature of the volatile elements (primarily C-N-Noble gases) in the interior of planets to ascertain how they behave during accretion, differentiation, and plate-tectonic cycling.
Prof Tim Mulgan School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies PURE	Future of Humanity, Purpose in the Universe, Ethics of Exploration	Tim’s research covers moral philosophy, metaphysics, and political philosophy. He is interested in how the discovery of extra-terrestrial life might affect philosophical and religious views about our place in the universe, and in the constraints that respect for extra-terrestrial environments might place on human expansion into space. He is the author of Ethics for a Broken World (2011) and Purpose in the Universe (2015).
Dr Timothy Raub School of Earth & Environmental Sciences	Dawn of Complex Life, Major Episodes of Environmental Change, Onset of Granitic Magmatism	PURE
Dr Ben Sachs School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies PURE	Environmental Ethics, Climate Change, Our Responsibilities to Nonhuman Life, Exoplanet Ethics	Ben specialises in ethics, political philosophy and philosophy of law. His research is aimed at examining how our ethical assumptions about the value of human life and of the earth’s environment are made precarious by the possible discovery of extraterrestrial life and life-supporting environments. He is part of an RSE grant “Exoplanet Ethics“, headed up by Katherine Hawley.
Dr Paul Savage School of Earth & Environmental Sciences PURE	Stable Isotope Geochemistry, Meteoritics, Planetary Differentiation Processes	Paul studies the formation and evolution of rocky planets (with a focus on our own solar system), from tracing the sources and types of material involved in planetary accretion, to the subsequent differentiation of planets into silicate mantles, metallic cores, and volatile-rich atmospheres and hydrospheres. Paul’s main tools for this are the analysis of stable isotope variations in both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial samples.
Dr Kevin Scharp School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies PURE	Evidence and Explanation, Science and Religion, Origins of Life	Kevin is interested in how discoveries about exoplanets affect our thoughts about the meaning of human life. This includes discovering life elsewhere of course, but many other discoveries might change the Drake equation for example. He also focuses on the ethics of space exploration, which has direct effects on exoplanet science.
Dr Aleks Scholz School of Physics & Astronomy PURE ADS	Observations of Brown Dwarfs and Protoplanetary Disks	Aleks is studying the origin of brown dwarfs, free-floating planets, and miniature planetary systems. Observing with ground- and space-based telescopes covering all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, he explores phenomena like disk evolution, grain growth, disk-planet interaction, gas accretion, angular momentum regulation, and magnetic activity.
Dr V Anne Smith School of Biology PURE	Computational Biology, Complex Biological Networks, Simulation Framework for Evaluation of Algorithms	Anne studies a range of complex biological networks: from genes, to neurons, to ecosystems. She develops machine learning tools for inference about biological systems; she evaluates algorithms and develops theory with both biologically-realistic and artificial life-based simulations. She complements her computational work with experimental evolution studies in living microbes.
Dr Eva Stüeken School of Earth & Environmental Sciences PURE	Co-evolution of Earth and the Origin of Life, Biogeochemical Cycles, Astrobiology	Eva’s research is centred around reconstructing the environmental conditions that led to the origin and early evolution of life on Earth with implications for the habitability of other worlds. Major tools include field work in Precambrian terrains, isotope geochemistry, and simple geochemical models.

PostDocs and PhD students:

Dr Elyse Allender School of Earth & Environmental Sciences PURE	Planetary Science, Remote Sensing, Planetary Analogue Research, Image Analysis	Elyse’s research at the University of St Andrews and Aberystwyth University focuses on the field and laboratory testing of the PanCam, ISEM, and CLUPI instrument emulators for the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars rover, as well as the development of software tools which will exploit the wealth of visible and near-infrared data generated by these instruments and further their utility for detecting evidence of past habitability on Mars.
Dr Eleanor Mare School of Earth & Environmental Sciences PURE	Deep Nitrogen Cycle	Atmospheres are essential for planetary habitability. Our atmosphere has changed a lot since life first evolved, but we don’t know exactly how. Eleanor studies nitrogen (the main gas in air), because the atmospheric mass might have changed if nitrogen was gradually taken up by, or released from, the solid Earth.
Dr Arola Moreras Marti School of Earth & Environmental Sciences	Geochemistry, Isotopes, Geomicrobiology, Astrobiology, Analogues	Arola is interested in studying planetary analogues on Earth to inform about preservation of biosignatures on Mars and icy moons. She is particularly interested in hypersaline and volcanic environments, and combines inorganic and organic geochemistry, with microbial techniques in order to answer questions about preserved biosginatures.
Dr Thomas Wilson School of Physics & Astronomy PURE ADS	Exoplanet transit detection, White dwarf planetary systems	Thomas studies the detection and characterisation of exoplanets with the aim to utilise the ultrahigh precision photometry of the upcoming CHEOPS mission to probe Earth-like exoplanets. Previous and ongoing research include the discovery and surveillance of planetary systems around white dwarfs primarily using the Spitzer space telescope.
Dr Joanne Boden School of Earth and Environmental Sciences	Evolution of Early Microbial Life	Joanne is a postdoctoral research fellow, working with Eva Stueeken and Rika Anderson on the co-evolution of life and Earth. She uses molecular clocks and gene-tree-species-tree reconciliations to uncover signals of prehistoric microbial communities (in the DNA of their descendants). We are particularly interested in how and when ancient microbes started collecting phosphorous from phosphonates and other, more reduced, molecules which might have been more bioavailable before the atmosphere oxygenated 2,450 million years ago. In this way, we hope to improve our understanding of how microbes contributed to global nutrient cycles during earlier periods of Earth’s existence; specifically the Archaean and Proterozoic, which is fondly termed the ‘boring billion’ due to the relative scarcity of animal life. Outside of this current project, Joanne has also investigated the evolution of multicellularity, biological oxygen production and metalloenzymes.
Dr Katy Chubb School of Physics and Astronomy PURE	Exoplanet atmospheres	Katy is a postdoctoral researcher working on characterising the atmospheres of exoplanets. She joined St Andrews in September 2021 to work with Christiane Helling, in close collaboration with Daphne Stam (TU Delft). Katy’s current focus is on modelling reflected (polarised) flux from exoplanets orbiting close to their host star. She uses a variety of techniques to help discover the compositions of exoplanet atmospheres, including atmospheric retrievals of transmission and emission spectra. She has a background in theoretical molecular spectroscopy and has active interest and experience in computing suitable molecular opacities to be used in atmospheric modelling and retrieval codes up to high temperatures.
Clara Brasseur School of Physics and Astronomy	Stellar astronomy	Clara Brasseur is currently a PhD student studying with Prof. Moira Jardine at the University of St Andrews. Their research focusses on the magnetic fields of cool stars, specifically radio signatures of stellar prominences. In addition to stellar astronomy, Clara is a dedicated astronomical software developer with a particular interest in astronomical data sonification.
Lyan I.A. Guez School of Earth and Environmental Sciences	Astrobiology	My broad research goal is to devise a method by which to infer the physical traits and processes in action on an exoplanet from the analysis of its atmosphere. I aim to do so by using computer modelling to facilitate the task of retrieving atmospheric features from spectrographic telescope data.
Toni Galloway School of Earth and Environmental Sciences	Astrobiology and analogues	Toni is working with Dr Claire Cousins and Dr Eva Stüeken on the biogeochemical cycling of essential elements within hot springs as Mars analogues. This work aims to expand understandings of what energy sources were available in Noachain-age Martian hot springs, and what biosignatures are associated with specific biological processes. This involves a combination of stable isotope geochemistry, metagenomics and thermodynamics to explore how extremophilic microorganisms interact with their environments on Earth and other habitable bodies.
Patrick Barth Interdisciplinary Doctoral Scholar School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, School of Physics & Astronomy PURE ADS	Miller-Urey experiment, kinetic gas phase modelling	Patrick is working on the effect of lighting on the atmospheric chemistry of Earth and other planets and investigating its impact on the origin of life. This includes Miller-Urey like sparking experiments and simulations of chemical processes in planetary atmospheres. Patrick is a St Leonard’s Interdisciplinary Doctoral Scholar.
Katharina Bernhard School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies	Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, Social Epistemology of Science, Scientific Expert Testimony	Katharina’s research revolves around epistemological goings-on in scientific expert testimony (SET). Some of the questions she is trying to answer are: What is epistemically required for SET to be successful? How can inductive risk considerations play an epistemically legitimate role in communicating scientific results? What epistemic challenges for SET arise from various forms of uncertainty characteristic for (most) scientific research?
Elliott Fogg School of Physics & Astronomy	Microlensing, Robotic Telescopes, Scheduling	Elliott is a PhD student working with Martin Dominik on optimising scheduling algorithms for robotic telescope networks, specifically for the benefit of observing Microlensing and other transient events. He is currently focussing on developing alternative methods for the scheduling of global telescope networks.
Filippo Formoso School of Earth & Environmental Sciences	Volatile Geochemistry, Deep Nitrogen Cycle, Experimental Petrology	Filippo is a PhD student supervised by Dr Sami Mikhail. The purpose of his research is to study the behaviour of nitrogen in the Earth’s mantle and the chemical and geochemical processes that may have influenced it during Earth’s accretion and evolution, in order to better understand its potential role in the origin and evolution of life.
James Hitchcock School of Physics & Astronomy	GravityCam lucky-imaging microlensing survey	James’s research focuses on high-resolution optical imaging, and the image processing methods which allow us to accurately measure the brightness of stars in very crowded environments. Of particular interest is how the state-of-the-art applications of these techniques can inform the observational strategies, and data processing challenges, associated with the next generation of wide-field microlensing surveys.
Ancy Anna John School of Physics & Astronomy	Detection of Earth-like exoplanets around Sun-like stars	Anna is working with Andrew Cameron on improving the sensitivity of radial-velocity surveys to low-amplitude planet signals. Her expertise is in developing new methods of separating Doppler shifts caused by orbital motion from apparent shifts caused by spectral line-shape variability caused by stellar activity. In this way, they aim to enhance the accuracy and precision of mass estimations of transiting super-earths and mini-Neptunes using HARPS & HARPS-N. Anna has a World-Leading St Andrews Scholarship from St Leonard’s Postgraduate College.
Dr Lara Jost Research Fellow in Medical Ethics School of Modern Languages PURE	Medical Ethics, Reproduction in Space, Agency and autonomy in medical decisions, Epistemology	Lara works on the project ‘Forecasting Reproduction in Space’ where she looks at the scientific and philosophical literature on issues of reproduction, ethics and agency in outer space, developing a predictive model using Bayesian Network analysis to predict the challenges faced by astronauts sent on long-duration spaceflights. When not thinking about space, she works on issues of testimony and agency in the context of gynaecological conditions like endometriosis.
Ethan Landes School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies	Applied Epistemology, Philosophy of Science	Ethan is interested in applied epistemology. Paying attention to specific academic fields or specific instances of our ignorance, he investigates which sorts of things we can know given our evidence. Recently Ethan has been thinking about the particularly tricky case of astrobiology. Do we know what alien life is like, given that we’ve never seen any?
Emma Johanna Puranen Interdisciplinary Doctoral Scholar School of Modern Languages, School of Biology, School of Physics & Astronomy	Turning science fiction into data science	What happens when we treat books as data? Can literary theory ever meet scientific standards? By applying a range of historical and current methods of quantitative analysis to a body of science fiction, this project will investigate claims for objectivity in literary theory. The project will focus on science fiction about exoplanets. A central question for the St Andrews Centre for Exoplanet Science and this project is how would human society respond to life beyond our planet. Emma is working with Emily Finer, V. Anne Smith and Christiane Helling. Emma has a World-Leading St Andrews Scholarship from St Leonard’s Postgraduate College.
Anuj Puri School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies	Laws and Rights, Governance Mechanisms	Anuj is interested in the nature of rights and governance mechanisms that would be required for establishing a human civilization on another planet.
Jianxun Shen School of Earth & Environmental Sciences PURE	Astrobiology, nutrient cycling, bacteria in extremely dry deserts	Jianxun is studying nutrient cycling and bacteria in an extremely dry desert, the Atacama Desert in Chile, which has long been considered as a good Mars model on Earth. His project goal is to understand what Atacama bacteria eat, what trace do they leave in sands, and who they are. Answers of these questions may contribute to the detection of life on Mars.
Nicola Simonetti Research Fellow in Digital Humanities School of Modern Languages PURE	Theories of the contemporary, Critical medical humanities, Disability studies, Sci-fi & speculative fiction	Nick’s research focuses on the intersections between literary studies and the biosciences. Nick is interested in post-2000 models of the contemporary, the critical medical humanities, normativity and dis/ability in works of science and speculative fiction, and the link between representation strategies of disability and the environment in contemporary Western literature.

Previous members:

Sarah Lewin, Annelies Mortier, Sarah Rugheimer, Carolina Villarreal D’Angelo, Duncan Forgan, Lotta Purkamo, Elsie Lee, Gabriella Hodosán, Inna Bozhinova, Kirstin Hay, Ashley Watkins, Nicole Schanche, Saranga Sudarshan, Mark Fox-Powell, Boris Laurent, Bethan Gregory, Natalya Zavina-James, Katherine Hawley, Nigel Rapport, Aurora Sicilia-Aguilar, Christiane Helling, Peter Woitke, Mark Claire, Aubrey Zerkle, Thorsten Balduin, Dominic Samra, Oliver Herbort, Jan-Philip Sindel, Till Käufer, Fran Bartolic.