Bard College receives $125K grant for planetary sciences research

Bard College has received a $124,936 grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation for a five-year project to simulate and detect potential biosignatures from exoplanets.

The project will be led by Assistant Professor of Physics Clara Sousa-Silva and will determine the potential existence of life beyond Earth by expanding our understanding of how molecules behave in different atmospheric environments. Sousa-Silva”™s previous work focused on simulating spectra (the band of colors produced by the separation of components of light by wavelength) for biosignature gases, and with this project she will be able to apply her work to studying the atmospheric spectrum of exoplanets and identifying molecules connected to life.

“Currently, the most pressing limitation in the characterization of planets, and, ultimately, the detection of life, is our lack of understanding of molecules and their environmental interactions,” Sousa-Silva said. “My research proposal aims to address this problem through a combination of quantum chemistry, astrobiology, and planetary sciences.”

The Heising-Simons Foundation is a family foundation that funds work related to scientific research.

Photo of Clara Sousa-Silva by Melanie Gonick / Bard College