Meet the PI

Dr. Merve Yeşilbaş

Merve studies the geochemical changes on planet Mars focusing extreme environments on Earth from the coldest tundras of Arctic to the hottest volcanic environments. She has a wide expertise studying martian analogue mineral-water and ice interfacial chemistry and cryomineral formation using cryogenic vibrational spectroscopy techniques. Then, she uses the Martian spacecraft data to bridge Earth to Mars. Merve is the Assistant Professor and Group Leader of the Yeşilbaş Lab, based at Umeå University.

Merve completed her PhD studies at Umeå University, and then received several postdoctoral grants from Swedish Research Council and NASA to study Mars (geo)chemistry in the SETI Institute and the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

Our current Mars explorers!

  • Dmitry Shevela

    Staff Scientist

    Dmitry builds up our planetary FTIR spectrometer to work under extreme space conditions.

  • Postdoctoral Fellow

    Surendra Vikram Singh

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    I work on the spectral features of RNA-building blocks at Mars-like conditions. My aim is to find if we could detect these type of biosignatures by spacecrafts on Mars today.

  • Lucas Demaret

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    I study how the Martian analogue soils retain the water and organics using cryogenic Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. My goal is to find if life could ever exist on Mars.

  • Trung Nguyen

    PhD Student

    I study the deliquescence features of martian analogue clays and salt mixtures using Dynamic Vapour Sorption (DVS) and Cryogenic-FTIR. My goal is to find potential water resources for future human missions to Mars.

  • Frida Folkesson Ragnebrandt

    Bachelor Student

    I study how the microorganisms survive in the extreme environments on Earth, specifically focusing on Antarctic Dry Valleys.

  • Lab Alumni

    From Our Lab to the World: Where are they now?

    Ann-Cathrin Krause (Erasmus Exchange Program, Master Project) from Nov 2022 to Jan 2023 -now at the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, Germany (Doctoral scholar)

    Francisca Emel Tuzcuoglu (Erasmus+ Intern, Internship Project) from Jun 2023 to Aug 2023 - now at the SpaceMaster programme in Luleå University of Technology, Sweden (Master Student)

    Amanda Ekman (Life Sciences Program, Bachelor Thesis)- from Mar 2024 to Jun 2024- now at the Stockholm University, Sweden (Master Student)

    Juliette Labeille (Erasmus Exchange Program, Bachelor Thesis) from March 2024 to Jun 2024 - now at the University of Bordeaux, France (Master Student)

 

Join the lab!

We are a fun, ambitious and enthusiastic group that values collaboration, creativity, and kindness. If you love space, Mars, and cryomineralogy, explore opportunities to join our lab!