I am a postdoctoral researcher and organic geochemist in the Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. My research is focused on biomarker preservation and the origins of life. Specifically, I study how molecular fossils form, how they might persist through time, and the transition from natural chemical networks to modern biological systems. I am currently a collaborator on the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission.
Angel Mojarro
(POST DOC)
| Email: | angel.mojarro@nasa.gov |
| Org Code: | 691 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 691 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | NPP POST-DOC CONTRACT |
Brief Bio
Current Projects
OSIRIS-REx
Astrochemistry
A longstanding question regarding the formation and evolution of the solar system concerns the potential sources and diversity of complex organic compounds which may have contributed to the origins of life on the early Earth. One possibility is that organics synthesized within the early formation of the our solar system may fundamentally represent the most significant source of building blocks (amino acids, sugars, nucleobases). Therefore, organic-rich asteroids and/or meteorites which have persisted with minimal alteration since their formation may serve as time capsules of the primordial solar system, which we can investigate to better understand our planetary and prebiotic origins. As part of the OSIRIS-REx organics analysis team, I am interested in the chemical processes resposible for the formation of prebiotically-relevant compounds and their delivery to planetary surfaces.
Positions/Employment
Postdoctoral Researcher
National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Greenbelt, Maryland
February 2023 - Present
Graduate Research Assistant
Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Cambridge, Massachusetts
September 2017 - January 2023
Junior Researcher
Massachusetts General Hospital - Boston, Massachusetts
March 2015 - August 2017
Research Staff Assistant
Columbia University - Palisades, New York
August 2012 - July 2014
Research Assistant
Brown University - Providence, Rhode Island
September 2009 - July 2012
Education
Ph.D. in Geochemistry (2023), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Thesis: "Experiments on Biomarker Preservation."
- Advisor: Dr. Roger E. Summons
Sc.B. in Geological Sciences (2011), Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
Publications
Refereed
2025. "Abundant ammonia and nitrogen-rich soluble organic matter in samples from asteroid (101955) Bennu." Nature Astronomy [Full Text] [10.1038/s41550-024-02472-9] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "Diverse Organic Molecules on Mars Revealed by the SAM TMAH Experiment." Nature [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Murchison Meteorite Analysis using Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide (TMAH) Thermochemolysis under Simulated Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Conditions." Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets 128 (11): e2023JE007968 [Full Text] [10.1029/2023JE007968] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Comparative soft‐tissue preservation in Holocene‐age capelin concretions." Geobiology 20 (3): 377-398 [10.1111/gbi.12480] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "In search of the RNA world on Mars." Geobiology 19 (3): 307-321 [10.1111/gbi.12433] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Nucleic Acid Extraction and Sequencing from Low-Biomass Synthetic Mars Analog Soils for In Situ Life Detection." Astrobiology 19 (9): 1139-1152 [10.1089/ast.2018.1929] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "CarrierSeq: a sequence analysis workflow for low-input nanopore sequencing." BMC Bioinformatics 19 (1): 108 [10.1186/s12859-018-2124-3] [Journal Article/Letter]
2017. "Nucleic Acid Extraction from Synthetic Mars Analog Soils for In Situ Life Detection." Astrobiology 17 (8): 747-760 [10.1089/ast.2016.1535] [Journal Article/Letter]