The External Scientific Advisory Committee or Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) is a collegiate external advisory body composed of eight internationally renowned researchers whose function is to advise, and if necessary evaluate, the scientific activity of the Center, as well as to provide advice at the request of the Governing Committee and the Management. This is a highly multidisciplinary Committee, as required by the complexity of the main research areas of the Center: Astrophysics and Astrochemistry, Planetary Exploration, Extreme Environments, or Molecular Evolution of Life.
1. Prof. Paola Caselli, Director of the Center for Astrochemical Studies at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society, Garching, Germany. Astrophysics and Astrochemistry.
2. Prof. Nathalie Batalha, Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Director of Astrobiology & UC Presidential Chair, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA. Astronomy & Astrophysics.
3. Dr. Rosaly Lopes, Senior Research Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Earth and Space Sciences Division, California, USA. Planetologist, Solar System.
4. Prof. Kathleen A. Campbell, Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, New Zealand. Founding Director of Te Ao Mārama – Centre for Fundamental Inquiry Faculty of Science. Also, School of Environment, The University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, Auckland, New Zealand. Geologist, paleoecologist and astrobiologist.
5. Dr. Chris McKay, Planetary Geologist and Astrobiologist, Space Science Division – NASA Ames Research Center, California. Planetary scientist, life in extreme environments.
Chris McKay
6. Prof. Eugene V. Koonin, Evolutionary Genomics Group Leader, NIH Distinguished Investigator, Computational Biology Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. Evolutionary Genomics.
7. Prof. Ari-Matti Harri, Head Space & Obs. Res. Unit Space and Earth Observation Center FMI – Finnish Meteorological Institute. Coordinator of the PECASUS SWX Consortium. Environmental sensors and planetary missions.
8. Prof. Matthew Griffin, School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, UK. Infrared and submillimetre astronomy and instrumentation, both ground-based and space-borne.
