Alberto G. Fairén

My line of investigation focuses in the fields of Planetary Sciences and Astrobiology, with particular emphasis in the understanding of the early Mars environments. My research interests in Martian science are broad, spanning from aqueous mineralogy, surface composition and habitability, to robotic exploration and mission design, and my research activities include a combination of theoretical modeling, laboratory experiments, field work and spacecraft data analysis. My scientific projects and publications are a reflection of this multidisciplinary approach to the study of Mars. They include analyses of the time of operation of the inner magnetic dynamo, the evolution of the lithosphere, global geomorphology, volcanology and tectonics, impact cratering and meteorites on and from Mars, the history and distribution of water, the evolution of fluvial features, aqueous mineralogy (including analyses of carbonates, sulfates, clays and salts), climate modeling, the origin of atmospheric methane, exploration of hydrothermal targets, the astrobiological significance of different martian environments, the search for biosignatures, and the exploration of terrestrial Mars analogs. In my investigations I have regularly utilized space-based instrumentation, including data from the MGS, MER, PHX, MRO and MEX missions.

Because I work in a large diversity of topics, teamwork is a key component in my research, and as such I have established a wide network of collaborations with a number of researchers around the World. I have also published 130+ articles of popular science (Planetology, Astrobiology and Molecular Biology) in magazines and webs in Spain and South America (in Spanish).