Karyn Rogers

Karyn Rogers is an Associate Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Director of the Rensselaer Astrobiology Research and Education Center (RARE). She is affiliated with the New York Center for Astrobiology (NYCA) and the Institute for Data Exploration and Applications (IDEA). Dr. Rogers serves as the US Lead for the Deep Carbon Observatory’s High Pressure Sampling, Transport, and Cultivation User Facility and co-chair of the UNOLS Deep Submergence Science Committee New User Program.

• PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University (2006)
• M.S. in Geological & Environmental Sciences, Stanford University (2001)
• A.B. in Environmental Science & Public Policy and Earth & Planetary Sciences, Harvard University (1996)

Dr. Rogers’ research explores microbial communities in extreme ecosystems, focusing on their implications for the origin of life on Earth, planetary habitability, and modern extremophile survival. Her work combines field studies in terrestrial hydrothermal systems (Cerro Negro Volcano, Vulcano shallow marine vents, deep-sea mid-ocean ridges) with laboratory experiments on extremophile cultivation, genomics, and geochemical modeling under high-pressure, high-temperature, and anaerobic conditions.

Her laboratory at Jonsson-Rowland Science Center houses a state-of-the-art high-pressure microbial cultivation facility. Research trends emphasize abiotic biomolecule synthesis, microbial adaptation to extreme conditions, and interdisciplinary data analytics for astrobiology and early Earth studies.

• Teaches Geobiology, Aqueous Geochemistry, Origin of Life, Advanced Geomicrobiology, and Planetary Habitability
• Collaborates with New York Center for Astrobiology and RARE
• Directed the Deep Carbon Observatory US facility