معرفی
Prof. Fabien Kenig is a Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He leads the Organic Geochemistry Laboratory (OGL), focusing on astrobiology, paleoceanography, and environmental geochemistry. His research uses organic and stable isotope geochemistry to address Earth and space science questions, including life in extreme environments, ancient ocean structures, and modern pollution analysis (e.g., PAHs in urban areas). Key projects involve studying Antarctic cryo-ecosystems (Lake Vida brine), Archean biosignatures, and Titan's hypothetical subsurface ocean. Funded by NASA, his work integrates advanced analytical tools like GC×GC-TOF MS and high-pressure microbial culturing chambers.
Education: PhD in Geochemistry from Université d’Orléans, France (1991). Research interests span biomarker analysis, microbial metabolomics, and planetary habitability. Recent studies include Titan-like pressure experiments, Antarctic lake brine chemistry, and Jurassic sediment biosignature detection via ToF-SIMS imaging.
The OGL supports undergraduate/graduate research and addresses both Earth's environmental challenges and astrobiological frontiers. Current efforts include constructing a high-pressure lab to simulate Titan's ocean conditions and analyzing noble gases in Antarctic lake brines. His work bridges geochemistry, microbiology, and planetary science, with applications to Mars exploration and climate history reconstruction.
