Angelique Ray

Affiliation: Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)

Branch: Exobiology Branch (STX)

Email: angelique.e.ray@nasa.gov

Professional Biography

Angelique Ray is a fellow in the NASA Postdoctoral Program at NASA Ames Research Center. She investigates the role of trace gas oxidation in microbial survival in extreme, oligotrophic desert environments. Angelique initially gained this expertise studying Antarctic, high Arctic and Tibetan soils throughout her PhD at the University of New South Wales, Australia. Now, Angelique is extending this knowledge to investigations of soil along the Atacama Desert hyperaridity gradient, informing limits of life in this Mars-analogue environment and the plausibility of trace gas oxidation energetically supporting extinct or extant microorganisms on Mars.

Education

Ph.D. in Microbiology, University of New South Wales, 2022

B.Sc. in Biotechnology (Adv) (Hons Class 1), University of New South Wales, 2017

Publications

2024

Chelliah DS, Ray AE, Zhang E, Terauds A, and Ferrari BC (2024). The Vestfold Hills are alive: Characterising microbial and environmental dynamics in Old Wallow, Eastern Antarctica. Frontiers in Microbiology.

Zhang E, Wong SY, Czechowski P, Terauds A, Ray AE, Benaud N, Chelliah DS, Wilkins D, Montgomery K, and Ferrari BC (2024). Effects of increasing soil moisture on Antarctic desert microbial ecosystems. Conservation Biology, e14268. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14268

Williams TJ, Allen MA, Ray AE, Benaud N, Chelliah DS, Albanese D, Donati C, Selbmann L, Coleine C, and Ferrari BC (2024) Novel endolithic bacteria of phylum Chloroflexota reveal a myriad of potential survival strategies in the Antarctic desert. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02264-23

Coleine C , Albanese D , Ray AE , Delgado-Baquerizo M, Stajich JE, Williams TJ, Larsen S, Tringe S, Pennacchio C, Ferrari BC, Donati C, and Selbmann L (2024) Metagenomics untangles potential adaptations of Antarctic endolithic bacteria at the fringe of habitability. Science of The Total Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170290

2023

Ray AE, Tribbia DZ, Cowan DA, and Ferrari BC (2023) Clearing the Air: Unravelling past and guiding future research in atmospheric chemosynthesis. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00048-23

2022

Ray AE, Zaugg J, Benaud N, Chelliah DS, Bay SK, Wong HL, Leung PM, Ji M, Terauds A, Montgomery K, Greening C, Cowan DA, Kong W, Williams TJ, Hugenholtz P, and Ferrari BC (2022) Atmospheric chemosynthesis is phylogenetically and geographically widespread and contributes significantly to carbon fixation throughout cold deserts. The ISME Journal. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396- 022-01298-5

2021

Montgomery K, Williams TJ, Brettle M, Berengut JF, Ray AE, Zhang E, Zaugg J, Hugenholtz P, and Ferrari BC (2021) Persistence and resistance: survival mechanisms of Candidatus Dormibacterota from nutrient-poor Antarctic soils. Environmental

2020

Ray AE, Zhang E, Terauds A, Ji M, Kong W, and Ferrari BC (2020) Soil microbiomes with the genetic capacity for atmospheric chemosynthesis are widespread across the poles and are associated with moisture, carbon, and nitrogen limitation. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11(1936). https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01936

Awards/Honors

NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowship, 2025

Big Questions Institute UNSW Fellowship, 2023

Ramaciotti Centre for Genomics Small Grant Funding, 2023

Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship, 2019-2022

Early Career Award, Conference on Polar and Alpine Microbiology, 2020

Antarctic PD Support Grant, Antarctic Science Foundation, 2020

FEMS Microbiology Ecology Presentation Prize, 2019

New Columbo Mobility Scholarship, 2016

Scientific Outreach

Assistant Ambassador, Antarctic Science Foundation, 2024/25

Roving Scientist, Beaker Street Festival, Hobart, 2024

Guest Interviewee, “Bacteria which live on air alone”, The Science Show, ABC Radio National, 2024

Committee Member, MicroSeq Conference, Australian Society for Microbiology, 2023/24

Visitor Experience Volunteer, Museum of Arts and Applied Sciences, Sydney, 2017/18