Papers
3
Total Citations
46
H-Index
3
About
Teresa Fornaro is an astrobiologist whose research sits at the fascinating intersection of planetary science, prebiotic chemistry, and the search for life beyond Earth. Her work focuses primarily on understanding how biologically relevant molecules behave under the harsh conditions of planetary surfaces, with particular emphasis on Mars. Fornaro has made significant contributions to characterizing how UV radiation degrades or transforms potential biosignatures — organic molecules such as amino acids and nucleotides — when adsorbed onto Mars-relevant minerals like montmorillonite clay in the presence of perchlorates. This research is critical for interpreting data from Mars rovers and designing future life-detection missions. Her highly cited 2020 studies on UV photoprocessing of glycine and Mars soil analogs (accumulating 23 and 20 citations respectively) demonstrate her expertise in laboratory simulation of extraterrestrial environments, bridging spectroscopic characterization with astrobiology. By examining how mineral surfaces mediate both the preservation and destruction of organic compounds, Fornaro also contributes to our understanding of prebiotic chemistry — how life's building blocks might concentrate and evolve on rocky worlds. Her work provides an essential framework for evaluating the habitability of Mars and the survivability of molecular biosignatures under space-relevant conditions.
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