In 2026, I will join Cornell University’s Astronomy Department as an Assistant Professor in Planetary Science. At Cornell, I will be researching organic biosignature detection and alteration, organo-mineral associations, preparation for sample return missions, and distinguishing biotic from abiotic signals in challenging samples with low amounts of organic molecules.
I am an Australian astrobiologist, planetary scientist, geochemist and science communicator. My research examines how signs of life are preserved and detected on Earth and other planetary bodies. I work on hydrothermal systems, early Earth rocks, and Ocean World and Mars-analogue sites in New Zealand, Chile, Yellowstone National Park (USA), and across Australia.
I received my PhD in 2022 from the Australian Centre for Astrobiology at UNSW, Sydney, after earning a Master of Research with High Distinction in Earth and Planetary Science from Macquarie University where I also did my undergraduate degree. From 2022-2025, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Origins and Habitability Laboratory at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, researching life detection in ocean worlds and contributing to the Mars Sample Return program through science planning and strategy in the Joint Science Office of the Sample Receiving Project.
I have taught astrobiology, geology, and science communication at Macquarie University and UNSW, co-developed student field programs alongside NASA scientists, and mentored high school students through initiatives such as Brain Stem LTD and the Australian Science Innovations’ Curious Minds program. I also served as project officer for UNSW’s Online Learning and Innovation Community of Practice, supporting development of new teaching approaches.
Bonnie Teece 