Seán Jordan

Dr. Seán Jordan is a Lecturer in the School of Chemical Sciences at Dublin City University (DCU), holding a prestigious ERC Starting Grant. His research focuses on the origin of life, early Earth fossils, and astrobiology. He investigates whether ancient microstructures are biological or abiotic, using lab experiments simulating early Earth conditions and applying machine learning for analysis.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Chemical Sciences (DCU)
• PhD in marine sediments (DCU)
• Postdoctoral research at University College London (UCL) and the University of Lisbon

Research Interests: Dr. Jordan explores early cell membrane formation, fossilization processes, and the biogenecity of microfossils. His work bridges geochemistry, astrobiology, and planetary science, with implications for interpreting samples from Mars missions. Key projects include analyzing 3.5-billion-year-old Australian fossils and 800-million-year-old Svalbard microfossils to distinguish biological signatures from inorganic processes.

Grants & Awards:

• ERC Starting Grant for large-scale biogenecity analysis
• SFI-IRC Pathway Grant
• Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND Fellowship

Labs & Teams: Based in DCU's Nano Research Facility, he will lead a team of four PhD students and two postdocs. His lab focuses on replicating fossilization processes and developing standardized methods for analyzing extraterrestrial samples.