Dr. Eric Parker is an Astrochemist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. His areas of interest span the fields of analytical chemistry, astrochemistry, atmospheric chemistry, environmental chemistry, prebiotic chemistry, astrobiology, origins of life, and Earth sciences.
Dr. Eric Parker's Research Interests
Applying liquid chromatography- and mass spectrometry-based analytical tecniques to analyze complex mixtures for biomolecules considered to be important for life. This includes analyzing extraterrestrial samples (e.g., meteorites and micrometeorites) and samples resulting from laboratory simulations of prebiotic environments. Molecules of interest in these studies include amino acids and peptides.
Ph.D., Chemistry - Georgia Institute of Technology
M.S., Earth System Science - University of California at Irvine
B.S., Environmental Chemistry - University of California at San Diego
11/2016
-
Present
Research Space Scientist
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD
8/2012
-
8/2016
Graduate Student
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA
6/2012
-
8/2012
Research Fellow
Marine Biological Laboratory,
Greenbelt, MD
8/2009
-
6/2012
Graduate Student
School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA
8/2008
-
8/2009
Researcher
Scripps Institution of Oceanography,
La Jolla, CA
6/2007
-
7/2008
Graduate Student
University of California at Irvine,
Irvine, CA
2017
• American Chemical Society’s Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in Astrochemistry
2016
• First Runner-Up, Suddath Memorial Award for Most Outstanding Graduate Student, Presented by Georgia Tech Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience
2015
• Astrobiology Science Conference Grant
• Georgia Tech College of Sciences Graduate Research Award
• Georgia Tech Career, Research, and Innovation Scholarship
2014
• First Place, Research Talk Competition, Georgia Tech School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduate Student Research Symposium
• NASA Astrobiology Early Career Collaboration Award
• Center for Chemical Evolution (CCE) Service Award for Education, Outreach, and Diversity
• NASA Astrobiology Program Origins Grant
2013
• NASA Astrobiology Institute Nordic Scholar
• Georgia Tech Research and Innovation Fellowship
2012
• NASA Astrobiology Institute Santander Scholar
• NASA Planetary Biology Research Fellowship
2011
• NASA Astrobiology Institute Origins Grant
2007
• UCSD Undergraduate Research Scholar
2006
• UCSD Physical Sciences William M. Hawkins, Jr. Award
• UCSD Physical Sciences Dean’s Undergraduate Award for Excellence
• California Water Environment Association Kirtland Brooks Scholarship
Refereed
Parker, E. T., H. J. Cleaves, J. L. Bada, and F. M. Fernández. 2016. "Quantitation of α-hydroxy acids in complex prebiotic mixtures via liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry."
Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry,
30:
2043-2051
[10.1002/rcm.7684]
Parker, E. T., J. H. Cleaves, A. S. Burton, et al. 2014. "Conducting Miller-Urey Experiments."
Journal of Visualized Experiments
,
83:
[10.3791/51039 ]
Parker, E. T., M. Zhou, A. S. Burton, et al. 2014. "A Plausible Simultaneous Synthesis of Amino Acids and Simple
Peptides on the Primordial Earth."
Angewandte Chemie International Edition,
53:
8132-81336
[10.1002/ange.201403683]
Cleaves, H. J., C. Neish, M. P. Callahan, et al. 2014. "Amino acids generated from hydrated Titan tholins: Comparison with Miller–Urey electric discharge products."
Icarus,
237:
182-189
[10.1016/j.icarus.2014.04.042]
Zhang, X., J. Liu, E. T. Parker, et al. 2012. "On the gas-particle partitioning of soluble organic aerosol in two urban atmospheres with contrasting emissions: 1. Bulk water-soluble organic carbon."
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres,
117:
[10.1029/2012jd017908]
Liu, J., X. Zhang, E. T. Parker, et al. 2012. "On the gas-particle partitioning of soluble organic aerosol in two urban atmospheres with contrasting emissions: 2. Gas and particle phase formic acid."
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres,
117:
[10.1029/2012jd017912]
Parker, E. T., H. J. Cleaves, M. P. Callahan, et al. 2011. "Prebiotic synthesis of methionine and other sulfur-containing organic compounds on the primitive Earth: a contemporary reassessment based on an unpublished 1958 Stanley Miller experiment."
Orig. Life Evol. Biosph.,
41:
201-212
[ 10.1007/s11084-010-9228-8]
Parker, E. T., H. J. Cleaves, M. P. Callahan, et al. 2011. "Enhanced synthesis of alkyl amino acids in Miller's 1958 H2S experiment."
Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. ,
41:
569-574
[ 10.1007/s11084-011-9253-2]
Parker, E. T., H. J. Cleaves, J. P. Dworkin, et al. 2011. "Primordial synthesis of amines and amino acids in a 1958 Miller H2S-rich spark discharge experiment."
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,
108:
5526-5531.
Glavin, D. P., A. Aubrey, M. P. Callahan, et al. 2010. "Extraterrestrial amino acids in the Almahata Sitta meteorite."
Met. Planet. Sci. ,
45:
1695-1709
[10.1111/j.1945-5100.2010.01094.x ]
Invited
Expanding Our Knowledge of the Ranges of Environmental Conditions that May Have Been Able to Support Peptide Synthesis on the Primitive Earth and Elsewhere
8
/
2017
Parker, E.T. (2017) 254th American Chemical Society Natonal Meeting. Abstract #550.
An Evaluation of the Prebiotic Plausibility of Depsipeptide Synthesis Under Possible Primitive Conditions
7
/
2017
Parker, E.T.; Forsythe, J.G.; Fernández, F.M. (2017) International Societey for the Study of the Origin of Life Conference. Abstract #4163.
Other
Synthesis of Di-depsipeptides Under Possible Solar System Environments
4
/
2017
Parker, E.T.; Forsythe, J.G.; Fernández, F.M. (2017) 253rd American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exhibition, Abstract # 2644609.
An Assessment of Amino Acid Stability in the Early Oceans by Analyzing Archived Seawater Samples with Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
3
/
2016
Parker, E.T.; Brinton, K.L.; Burton, A.S.; Glavin, D.P.; Dworkin, J.P.; Bada, J.L. (2016) Pittcon 2016, Abstract #360-3.
Amino Acid Stability in the Early Oceans
6
/
2015
Parker, E.T.; Brinton, K.L.; Burton, A.S.; Glavin, D.P.; Dworkin, J.P.; Bada, J.L. (2015) Astrobiology Science Conference, Abstract #7019.
A Plausible Simultaneous Synthesis of Amino Acids and Simple Peptides on the Primordial Earth
7
/
2014
Parker, E.T.; Zhou, M.; Burton, A.S.; Glavin, D.P.; Dworkin, J.P.; Krishnamurthy, R.; Fernández, F.M.; Bada, J.L. (2014) Origins 2014-2nd ISSOL-The International Astrobiology Society and Bioastronomy Joint International Conference, Abstract #1131188.
Mass Spectrometric-Based Investigations of Polymerized Biomolecules Synthesized in Miller’s Unreported Cyanamide Spark Discharge Experiment
5
/
2013
Parker, E.T.; Zhou, M.; Burton, A.S.; Glavin, D.P.; Dworkin, J.P.; Fernández, F.M.; Bada, J.L. (2013) American Society for Mass Spectrometry Annual Conference, Abstract #505.
Stanley Miller’s Cyanamide Spark Discharge Experiment
5
/
2013
Parker, E.T. (2013) Astrobiology Graduate Conference.
The Production of Gaseous Species in a Primitive Atmosphere: Gas Phase Chemistry in Spark Discharge Experiments
4
/
2012
Parker, E.T.; Cleaves, H.J.; Bada, J.L.; Orlando, T.M.; Fernandez, F.M. (2012) Astrobiology Science Conference, Abstract # 1342863.
New Insights into Prebiotic Chemistry from Old Archived Miller Extracts
7
/
2011
Parker, E.T.; Cleaves, H.J.; Dworkin, J.P.; Glavin, D.P.; Callahan, M.P.; Aubrey, A.D.; Lazcano, A; Bada, J.L. (2011) Origins 2011-ISSOL and Bioastronomy Joint International Conference, Abstract #249.
American Chemical Society,
2015
-
Present
Member
American Geophysical Union,
2008
-
Present
Member
International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life,
2011
-
Present
Member
Refereed
Parker, E. T., H. J. Cleaves, J. L. Bada, and F. M. Fernández. 2016. "Quantitation of α-hydroxy acids in complex prebiotic mixtures via liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry."
Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry
30
2043-2051
[10.1002/rcm.7684]
Parker, E. T., J. H. Cleaves, A. S. Burton, et al. 2014. "Conducting Miller-Urey Experiments."
Journal of Visualized Experiments
83
[10.3791/51039 ]
Parker, E. T., M. Zhou, A. S. Burton, et al. 2014. "A Plausible Simultaneous Synthesis of Amino Acids and Simple
Peptides on the Primordial Earth."
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
53
8132-81336
[10.1002/ange.201403683]
Cleaves, H. J., C. Neish, M. P. Callahan, et al. 2014. "Amino acids generated from hydrated Titan tholins: Comparison with Miller–Urey electric discharge products."
Icarus
237
182-189
[10.1016/j.icarus.2014.04.042]
Zhang, X., J. Liu, E. T. Parker, et al. 2012. "On the gas-particle partitioning of soluble organic aerosol in two urban atmospheres with contrasting emissions: 1. Bulk water-soluble organic carbon."
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
117
[10.1029/2012jd017908]
Liu, J., X. Zhang, E. T. Parker, et al. 2012. "On the gas-particle partitioning of soluble organic aerosol in two urban atmospheres with contrasting emissions: 2. Gas and particle phase formic acid."
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
117
[10.1029/2012jd017912]
Parker, E. T., H. J. Cleaves, M. P. Callahan, et al. 2011. "Prebiotic synthesis of methionine and other sulfur-containing organic compounds on the primitive Earth: a contemporary reassessment based on an unpublished 1958 Stanley Miller experiment."
Orig. Life Evol. Biosph.
41
201-212
[ 10.1007/s11084-010-9228-8]
Parker, E. T., H. J. Cleaves, M. P. Callahan, et al. 2011. "Enhanced synthesis of alkyl amino acids in Miller's 1958 H2S experiment."
Orig. Life Evol. Biosph.
41
569-574
[ 10.1007/s11084-011-9253-2]
Parker, E. T., H. J. Cleaves, J. P. Dworkin, et al. 2011. "Primordial synthesis of amines and amino acids in a 1958 Miller H2S-rich spark discharge experiment."
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
108
5526-5531
Glavin, D. P., A. Aubrey, M. P. Callahan, et al. 2010. "Extraterrestrial amino acids in the Almahata Sitta meteorite."
Met. Planet. Sci.
45
1695-1709
[10.1111/j.1945-5100.2010.01094.x ]
