Garrett A. Roberts Kingman

Affiliation: Blue Marble Space Institute of Science

Division: Space Science and Astrobiology Division (ST)

Branch: Planetary Systems Branch (STT)

Email: garrett.a.robertskingman@nasa.gov

Professional Biography

Dr. Garrett A. Roberts Kingman is a Staff Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center via Blue Marble Space Institute of Science. Dr. Roberts Kingman has a background in evolutionary genetics and how life adapts to challenging environmental conditions. This has led him to work on understanding the biochemical limits of life, how we can identify and utilize molecular strategies developed by extremophiles for tolerating environmental challenges, and how we can employ nature’s genetic toolkit in support of human space exploration.

The limited environments found on Earth means that terrestrial life has not explored many of its true limits, hindering our ability to focus the search for extraterrestrial life. For example, nowhere on Earth resembles two places of particular interest in astrobiology: potential subterranean perchlorate brines on Mars and the high radiation environment near the surface of Europa. Dr. Roberts Kingman’s work includes using functional metagenomics and adaptive laboratory evolution to identify molecular strategies for tolerating extreme environmental conditions, create more extreme-tolerant extremophiles, and help us better understand the potential for microbial life in extraterrestrial environments.

Another aspect of Dr. Roberts Kingman’s work is applying lessons from terrestrial life to the support of human space exploration through synthetic biology. For example, one key challenge to human exploration of Mars is efficiently taking advantage of the local resources, particularly underground water ice. While it is abundant, it is also contaminated by toxic perchlorates. Dr. Roberts Kingman is working to apply genetic lessons from terrestrial microbes to this problem by engineering increased perchlorate reduction activity. Through projects such as this, Dr. Roberts Kingman aims to leverage biology as the ultimate nanotechnology and a broad molecular tool to support human spaceflight.

Education

NASA Postdoctoral Program in Astrobiology, Ames Research Center, 2021-2024

Ph.D. Developmental Biology, Stanford University, 2020

B.Sc. Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, 2013

Select Publications & Conference Proceedings

Rothschild LJ, Roberts Kingman GA, Stoker CR, Hoffman SJ (presenting). Detoxifying Mars: The biocatalytic elimination of omnipresent perchlorates. Poster and abstract, 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston, TX, USA. 2025.

Roberts Kingman GA, Kipness JL, Rothschild LJ. Raiding nature’s genetic toolbox for UV-C resistance by functional metagenomics. Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 2;15(1):223.

Rothschild LJ, Averesch NJH, Strychalski EA, Moser F, Glass JI, Cruz Perez R, Yekinni IO, Rothschild-Mancinelli B, Roberts Kingman GA, Wu F, Waeterschoot J, Ioannou IA, Jewett MC, Liu AP, Noireaux V, Sorenson C, Adamala KP. Building Synthetic Cells─From the Technology Infrastructure to Cellular Entities. ACS Synth Biol. 2024 Apr 19;13(4):974-997.

Roberts Kingman, G.A., Rothschild, L.J. Expanding the known limits of life through adaptive laboratory evolution, functional metagenomics, and synthetic biology. Oral presentation/abstract. AbSciCon 2024. Atlanta, GA, USA. May 17, 2022.

Roberts Kingman GA, Lee D, Jones FC, Desmet D, Bell MA, Kingsley DM. Longer or shorter spines: Reciprocal trait evolution in stickleback via triallelic regulatory changes in Stanniocalcin2a. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Aug 3;118(31):e2100694118.

Roberts Kingman GA, Vyas DN, Jones FC, Brady SD, Chen HI, Reid K, Milhaven M, Bertino TS, Aguirre WE, Heins DC, von Hippel FA, Park PJ, Kirch M, Absher DM, Myers RM, Di Palma F, Bell MA, Kingsley DM, Veeramah KR. Predicting future from past: The genomic basis of recurrent and rapid stickleback evolution. Sci Adv. 2021 Jun 18;7(25):eabg5285.

Indjeian VB, Kingman GA, Jones FC, Guenther CA, Grimwood J, Schmutz J, Myers RM, Kingsley DM. Evolving New Skeletal Traits by cis-Regulatory Changes in Bone Morphogenetic Proteins. Cell. 2016 Jan 14;164(1-2):45-56.