YESILBAS LAB is on SPOTLIGHT: Interview with our Kempe Postdoc Fellow Alef on Umeå University
Alef is showing his new isolated extremophiles in the Yesilbas Lab. Image Credit: Trung Nguyen.
Alef aims to identify true biosignatures for future Mars missions
We’re proud to share that our Kempe postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Alef Dos Santos, was recently featured in an interview with Umeå University, where he discusses his research on detecting biosignatures in Martian analogue materials—a crucial step in preparing for future Mars exploration missions.
In his work, Alef investigates how organic molecules, microbial remnants, and other possible indicators of life can be preserved in iron- and sulphur-rich minerals that resemble those found on Mars. By combining spectroscopic techniques and experimental simulations, he explores how these biosignatures behave under Mars-like extreme environmental conditions, including low pressure, low temperature, and CO₂-dominated atmospheres.
His research is a vital part of our lab's broader focus on astrobiology, planetary geochemistry, and the role of clay minerals and salts in preserving water and life-relevant compounds on Mars. These findings contribute to developing strategies for biosignature detection on future robotic and crewed missions.
Way to go Alef! We are looking forward to sharing our cool results very (soon)! Let’s stay updated!