Kendra Farnsworth
(Assistant Research Scientist)
| Email: | kendra.farnsworth@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.286.6650 |
| Org Code: | 699 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 699 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | UMBC Univ. of MD, Baltimore County |
Brief Bio
Dr. Kendra Farnsworth is laboratory research scientist working in the Planetary Environments Laboratory (code 699) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Her current research involves investigating the prebiotic chemistry in Titan's impact craters in the laboratory. By systematically testing various impact crater environments, she aims to predict which product molecules may be found when the Dragonfly mission arrives at Titan. Likewise, if Dragonfly identifies a biologically relevant molecule on Titan, this study will help understand the environment in which it was created. Impact craters are of interest because they are one of the few locations on Titan's surface where the mixture of transient liquid water and surface organics occurs, and Titan's Selk crater is the primary target location for Dragonfly. This research is additionally of interest to Titan's internal liquid ocean and other icy moon environments where liquid water and organics mix (e.g., cryovolcanic flows).
Dr. Farnsworth attended the University of Arkansas for her doctorate, where she maintained and operated the Titan Surface Simulation Chamber - a cryogenic environmental chamber that maintained Titan-relevant temperatures (83-110 K) and pressure (1.5-bar N2). Her doctoral work focused primarily on liquid-atmosphere interactions on Titan. More specifically, she studied the dissolution and diffusion kinetics of nitrogen gas in liquid hydrocarbons, nitrogen exsolution in the form of bubbles, the effects of dissolved nitrogen gas on methane-ethane freezing points, and the delayed coalescence of floating liquid droplets on the surface of liquid hydrocarbons. Additional research interests include, FTIR spectroscopy of liquid hydrocarbons, Cassini VIMS observations, and spatial and temporal variations of CO2 sublimation pits in the Martian South Polar Residual Cap.
As an undergraduate she worked as a laboratory technician at the Texas A&M Stable Isotope Geosciences Facility (SIGF), where she had the opportunity to conduct research in Earth paleoclimatology and isotopic geochemistry. Here, she aided in reconstructing historic precipitation and temperature in central Texas by analyzing the oxygen and carbon isotopic variability in a speleothem.
Dr. Farnsworth obtained her Ph.D. in Space and Planetary Sciences from the University of Arkansas in 2020 with a thesis titled, "An Experimental Investigation of Liquid Hydrocarbons in a Simulated Titan Environment". For her undergraduate, she graduated with honors from Texas A&M University in 2014 with B.S. in Environmental Geosciences, track in climate change, and minors in meteorology and geography.
Dr. Farnsworth is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate with CRESST/UMBC and is a Dragonfly Science Team Associate and a Collaborator on the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission.
Research Interests
Laboratory Analytical Techniques
Titan Surface Environmental Chamber (Cryogenic Temperature, Positive Pressure), FTIR Spectroscopy, GC-MS, LC-MS
Titan
Solar System: MoonsLiquid Hydrocarbons, Liquid-Atmosphere Interactions, Cryogenics, Physical Chemistry, Nitrogen Gas Dissolution/Diffusion Kinetics, Nitrogen Exsolution, Methane-Hydrologic Cycle, Cassini VIMS, Prebiotic Chemistry
Mars
Surface-Atmosphere Interactions (SPRC), HiRISE
Earth
Paleoclimatology, Isotopic Geochemistry, Atmospheric Science
Positions/Employment
Assistant Research Scientist
CRESST/UMBC/GSFC - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
2025 - Present
Postdoctoral Research Associate
CRESST/UMBC/GSFC - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
2023 - 2025
NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow
USRA/ORAU/GSFC - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
2021 - July 2023
Graduate Research Assistant
University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, AR
2015 - 2020
Graduate School and International Education Student Ambassador
University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, AR
2016 - 2020
Laboratory Technician
Texas A&M University - College Station, TX
2014 - 2015
Teaching Experience
Professor: The Changing Earth: Climate, Ecosystems, Water, and Landscapes (GES 110-01), Spring 2025, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Professor: Physical Geography (GES 110-02), Fall 2024, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Education
University of Arkansas
Ph.D. Space and Planetary Sciences, 2020
An Experimental Investigation of Liquid Hydrocarbons in a Simulated Titan Environment
Texas A&M University
B.S. Environmental Geosciences, 2014
Minors: Meteorology & Geography
Cum Laude
Professional Service
-- AGU Titan Session Co-Convener and Co-Chair, 2024
-- Reviewer for The Planetary Science Journal (PSJ), 2024
-- Goddard Proposal Red Team Reviewer, 2024
-- Panelist, NASA ROSES review panel, 2023, 2025
-- Executive Secretary, NASA ROSES review panels, 2019, 2021
-- External Reviewer, NASA ROSES review panels, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025
Publications
Refereed
2026. "Terrestrial Analogs to Titan for Geophysical Research.", Reviews of Geophysics, 64 (2): e2025RG000909 [10.1029/2025rg000909] [Journal Article/Letter]
2026. "Titan’s refractory core evolution: Implications for organics in its subsurface ocean.", Icarus, 116961 [10.1016/j.icarus.2026.116961] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "Slow Radiolysis of Amino Acids in Mars-Like Permafrost Conditions: Applications to the Search for Extant Life on Mars.", Astrobiology, 25 (9): 601-610 [10.1177/15311074251366249] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "Stable Nitrogen Isotope Analysis of Amino Acids by Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry: Application for Extraterrestrial Samples.", Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 39 (23): e10127 [10.1002/rcm.10127] [Journal Article/Letter]
2025. "The Viability of Glycine Fermentation in Titan’s Subsurface Ocean.", The Planetary Science Journal, 6 (86): 1-28 [10.3847/psj/adbc66] [Journal Article/Letter]
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]
2024. "Simplified Meteorite Parent Body Alteration of Amino Acids by Hydrothermal Processes.", Astrobiology, 24 1063-1073 [10.1089/ast.2024.0096] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "Understanding Titan’s Prebiotic Chemistry: Synthesizing Amino Acids Through Aminonitrile Alkaline Hydrolysis.", ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 8 (12): 2380–2392 [10.1021/acsearthspacechem.4c00114] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "Organic Input to Titan's Subsurface Ocean Through Impact Cratering.", Astrobiology, 24 (2): 1-13 [10.1089/ast.2023.0055] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "Volume Scattering Analysis of Titan’s Lakes and Seas via Cassini RADAR Altimetric Observations.", IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 62 1-13 [10.1109/tgrs.2024.3452319] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Chapter 10. Titan, Enceladus, and Other Icy Moons of Saturn.", Ices in the Solar System, [Book]
2023. "Characterizing phase transitions for titan's surface molecules: Implications for Dragonfly.", Planetary and Space Science, 239 (105804): 1-14 [10.1016/j.pss.2023.105804] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Floating Liquid Droplets on the Surface of Cryogenic Liquids: Implications for Titan Rain.", ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 7 (2): 439-448 [10.1021/acsearthspacechem.2c00311] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Stratification Dynamics of Titan’s Lakes via Methane Evaporation.", The Planetary Science Journal, 1 (2): 26 [10.3847/psj/ab974e] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Nitrogen Exsolution and Bubble Formation in Titan's Lakes.", Geophysical Research Letters, 46 (23): 13658-13667 [10.1029/2019gl084792] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Experimental Study of Ethylene Evaporites under Titan Conditions.", ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 3 (10): 2353-2362 [10.1021/acsearthspacechem.9b00204] [Journal Article/Letter]