Lynn J. Rothschild
Sr Research Scientist, Bio and Bio-Inspired Technologies, Research and Technology Lead for NASA HQ STMD
Affiliation: NASA Ames Research Center (NASA)
Email: Lynn.J.Rothschild@nasa.gov
Phone: (650) 283-3301
Read Lynn Rothschild‘s interview
Websites: Wikipedia | Brown Univeristy
Professional Biography
Lynn J. Rothschild, a research scientist at NASA Ames and Adjunct Professor at Brown University, is a passionate astrobiologist focusing on the origin and evolution of life on Earth and elsewhere especially in the context of the physical environment, while at the same time pioneering the use of synthetic biology to enable space exploration. A graduate of Yale, Indiana University and Brown, she has brought her imagination and creativity to the burgeoning field of synthetic biology, articulating a vision for the future of synthetic biology as an enabling technology for NASA’s missions, including human space exploration and astrobiology. From 2011 through 2019 she served as the faculty advisor of the award-winning Stanford-Brown iGEM (international Genetically Engineered Machine Competition) team, which has pioneered the use of synthetic biology to accomplish NASA’s missions, particularly focusing on the human settlement of Mars, and such innovative technologies as biomining, mycotecture, BioWires, making a biodegradable UAS (drone) and an Astropharmacy. Current funded projects include developing an on-demand, personalized Astropharmacy, mycotecture and a detoxification system for perchlorates. Her lab tested select plans in space on in the PowerCell secondary payload on the DLR EuCROPIS satellite. A past-president of the Society of Protozoologists, she is a fellow of the Linnean Society of London, The California Academy of Sciences and the Explorer’s Club. She was awarded the Isaac Asimov Award from the American Humanist Association, and the Horace Mann Award from Brown University. She has been a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) fellow five times. Lynn was formerly Professor (Adjunct) at Stanford where she taught “Astrobiology and Space Exploration” for a decade. She frequently appears on documentaries, TV and radio, and lectures worldwide, including Windsor Castle, Comi Con, TechFestival and the Vatican, and debated de-extinction for an Intelligence Squared USA debate.
Education
1987-90 National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow, NASA Ames Research Center
1985-87 Postdoctoral Fellow, Brown University
1985 Ph.D., Molecular and Cell Biology, Brown University
Ph.D. Thesis title: Assessment of evolutionary relationships among protistan phyla and a blue-green prokaryote by comparison of the enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase.
1981 M.A., Zoology, Indiana University, Bloomington
1979 Visiting Graduate Student, Department of Zoology, University of Maryland, College Park
1978 B.S., Biology, Yale University
Research Interests
My research straddles two intellectual camps: one, studying the diversity that evolution has wrought on earth and might have elsewhere, and the other figuring out how to use biology as technology for use in aerospace. My research interests focus on astrobiology, space exploration. synthetic biology, evolutionary biology, and the intersections among them, with particular expertise in microbiology, life in extreme environments, and synthetic biology as an enabling technology for exploration. Biology is no longer the province of biologists alone, but are providing inspiration and platforms for new frontiers in geology, planetary science and the aerospace industry. Oh yes; and all things Darwin.
Select Publications
Vora, T.J., Averesch, N.J.H., DeBenedictis, E.A. and Rothschild, L.J. Space Synthetic Biology: a Paradigm for Sustainability on Earth and Beyond. New Space (in press)
Rothschild, L.J., Averesch, N.J.H., Strychalski , E., Moser, F., Glass, J.I., Cruz Perez, R., Yekinni, I.O., Rothschild-Mancinelli, B., Roberts Kingman, G.A., Wu, F., Waeterschoot, J., Ioannou, I.A., Jewett, M.C., Liu, A.P., Noireaux, V., Sorenson, C., and Adamala, K.P. 2024. Building Synthetic Cells – from the Technology Infrastructure to Cellular Entities. ACS Synthetic Biology. 13, 4, 974–997. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/epdf/10.1021/acssynbio.3c00724
Vallota-Eastman, A., Bui, C., Williams, P., Valentine, D.L., Loftus, D., Rothschild, L.J. 2023. Bacillus subtilis engineered for aerospace medicine: a platform for on-demand production of pharmaceutical peptides. Frontiers in Space Technologies Vol 4 doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2023.1181843
Brandon Lu, Yoel P. Ohayon, Karol Woloszyn, Chu-fan Yang, Jesse B. Yoder, Lynn J. Rothschild, Shalom J. Wind, Wayne A. Hendrickson, Chengde Mao, Nadrian C. Seeman, James W. Canary, Ruojie Sha, and Simon Vecchioni. 2023. Heterobimetallic Base Pair Programming in Designer 3D DNA Crystals. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 145, 32, 17945–53. doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c05478
Zajkowski T, Lee MD, Sharma S, Vallota-Eastman A, Kuska M, Malczewska M, Rothschild LJ. 2023. Conserved functions of prion candidates suggest a primeval role of protein self-templating. EINS: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics. Sep;91(9):1298-1315. doi: 10.1002/prot.26558. Epub 2023 Jul 30. PMID: 37519023.
Vecchioni, S., Lu, B., Livernois, W., Ohayon, Y. P., Yoder, J. B., Yang, C.-F., Woloszyn, K., Bernfeld, W., Anantram, M. P., Canary, J. W., Hendrickson, W. A., Rothschild, L. J., Mao, C., Wind, S. J., Seeman, N. C., Sha, R., Metal-Mediated DNA Nanotechnology in 3D: Structural Library by Templated Diffraction. Adv. Mater. 2023, 35, 2210938. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202210938
Gallego Fernandez, B., Rothschild, L.J., Fagliarone, C., Chiavarini, S. & Billi, D. 2023. Feasibility as feedstock of the cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis sp. 029 cultivated with urine-supplemented Moon and Mars regolith simulants. Algal Research 71: 103044 doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2023.103044
Vickers, P., Cowie, C., Dick, S.J., Gillen, C., Jeancolas, C., Rothschild, L.J. and McMahon, S. Confidence of Life Detection: The Problem of Unconceived Alternatives. Astrobiology online ahead of print doi.org/10.1089/ast.2022.0084
Vecchioni, S., Sha, R., Seeman, N.C., Rothschild, L.J., and Wind, S.J. 2023. DNA by Design: De novo computational framework for DNA sequence design and nanotechnology. Journal of Self-Assembly and Molecular Electronics 1: 17–76. doi: 10.13052/jsame2245-8824.2022.002
Lipińska, M., Maurer, C., Morrow, R., Dade-Robertson, M., Senesky, Magdalini Theodoridou, D., Zhang, M. and Rothschild, L. 2022. Biological Growth as an Alternative Approach to On and Off-Earth Construction. Frontiers in Built Environment/ PUBLISHED 19 September 2022 doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2022.965145
Baqué M, Backhaus T, Meeßen J, Hanke F, Böttger U, Ramkissoon N, Olsson-Francis K, Baumgärtner M, Billi D, Cassaro A, de la Torre Noetzel R, Demets R, Edwards H, Ehrenfreund P, Elsaesser A, Foing B, Foucher F, Huwe B, Joshi J, Kozyrovska N, Lasch P, Lee N, Leuko S, Onofri S, Ott S, Pacelli C, Rabbow E, Rothschild L, Schulze-Makuch D, Selbmann L, Serrano P, Szewzyk U, Verseux C, Wagner D, Westall F, Zucconi L, de Vera JP. 2022, Biosignature stability in space enables their use for life detection on Mars. Sci Adv. Sep 9;8(36):eabn7412. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abn7412.
Limaye, S., Mogul, R., Baines, K.H., Bullock, M.A., Cockell, C., Cutts, J.A., Gentry, D.M., Grinspoon, D.H., Head, J.W., Jessup, K-L., Kompanichenko, V., Yeon Joo Lee, Mathies, R., Milojevic, T., Pertzborn, R.A., Rothschild, L., Sasaki, S., Schulze-Makuch, D., Smith, D.J., and Way, M.J. 2021. Venus, an Astrobiology Target. Astrobiology, 21(8) DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2268
Zajkowski, T., Lee, M.D., Mondal, S.S., Carbajal, A., Dec, R., Brennock, P.D, Piast, R.W., Snyder, J.E., Bense, N.B., Dzwolak. W., Jarosz, D.F., & Rothschild, L.J. 2021. The hunt for ancient prions: Archaeal prion-like domains form amyloids and substitute for yeast prion domains. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 38(5):2088–2103. doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msab010
Reyes, S.G., Kuruma, Y., Fujimi, M., Yamazaki, M., Eto, S., Tamaki, S., Kobayashi, A., Mizuuchi, R., Rothschild, L., Ditzler, M., Fujishima, K. 2021. PURE mRNA display and cDNA display provide rapid detection of core epitope motif via high-throughput sequencing. Biotechnol Bioeng. 118(4): 1702-15 doi.org/10.1002/bit.27696
Billi, D., Fernandez, B.G., Fagliarone, Chiavarini, C.S., & Rothschild, L.J. 2020. Exploiting a perchlorate-tolerant desert cyanobacterium to support bacterial growth for in-situ resource utilization on Mars. Internatl. J. Astrobiol. 20(1), 29-35. doi:10.1017/S1473550420000300
Volger, R., Pettersson, G.M., Brouns, S.J.J., Rothschild, L.J., Cowley, A., & Lehner, B.A.E. 2020. Mining moon & mars with microbes: Biological approaches to extract iron from Lunar and Martian regolith. Planetary & Space Science, 184: 104850 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2020.104850
Urbina, J., Patil, A., Fujishima, K., Paulino-Lima, I.G., Saltikov, C, & Rothschild, L.J. 2019. Urban biomining: A new approach to bioengineering surfaces for reclaiming and recycling metals from e-waste. Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group 9:16422 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52778-2
Mosca, C., Rothschild, L.J., Napoli, A., Ferre F., Pietrosanto, M., Fagliarone, C., Baqué, Raboow, E., Rettberg, P, & Billi, D. 2019. Over-expression of UV-damage DNA repair genes and ribonucleic acid persistence contribute to the resilience of dried biofilms of the desert cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis exposed to Mars-like UV flux and long-term desiccation. Frontiers in Microbiology 10: 2312. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02312
Snyder, J.E., Walsh, D., Carr, P. & Rothschild, L.J. 2019. A Makerspace for Life Support Systems in Space. Trends in Biotechnology 37: 1164-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2019.05.003
Lehner, B., Schlechten, J., Filosa, A., Pou, A., Mazotta, D., Spina, F., Teeney, L., Snyder, J., Tjorn, S., Meyer, A.S., Brouns, S., Cowley, A. & Rothschild, L.J. 2019. End-to-end mission design for microbial isru activities as preparation for a moon village. Acta Aeronautica 162: 216-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.06.001
Fujishima, K. Dziomba, S., Yano, H., Kebe, S.I., Guerrouache, M., Carbonnier, B. & Rothschild., L.J. 2019. The non-destructive separation of diverse astrobiologically relevant organic molecules by customizable capillary zone electrophoresis and monolithic capillary electrochromatography. Internatl. J. Astrobio. pp 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S1473550419000065
Vecchioni, S., Capece, M.C., Toomey, E., Le, N., Ray, A., Greenberg, A., Fujishima, K., Urbina, J., Paulino-Lima, I., Pinheiro, V., Shih, J., Wessel, G., Wind, S., & Rothschild., L.J. 2019. Construction and characterization of metal ion-containing DNA nanowires for synthetic biology and nanotechnology. Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group. https://rdcu.be/bAwgM
Averesch, N. & Rothschild, L.J. 2019. Metabolic engineering of Bacillus subtilis for production of para-aminobenzoic acid – unexpected importance of carbon-source is an advantage for space application. Microbial Biotechnology, 12(4):703-714. doi: 10.1111/1751-7915.13403
de Vera, J.-P., Alawi, M., Backhaus, T., Baqué, M., Billi, D., Böttger, U., Berger, T., Bohmeier, M., Cockell, C., Demets, R., de la Torre Noetzel, R., Edwards, H., Elsaesser, A., Fagliarone, C., Fiedler, A., Foing, B., Foucher, F., Fritz, J., Hanke, F., Herzog, T., Horneck, G., Hübers, H-W., Huwe, B., Joshi, J., Kozyrovska, N., Kruchten, M., Lasch, P., Lee, N., Leuko, S., Leya, T., Lorek, A., Martínez-Frías, J., Meessen, J., Moritz, S., Moeller, R., Olsson-Francis, K., Onofri, S., Ott, S., Pacelli, C., Podolich, O., Rabbow, E., Reitz, G., Rettberg, P., Reva, O., Rothschild, L., Sancho, L.G., Schulze-Makuch, D., Selbmann, L., Serrano, P., Szewzyk, U., Verseux, C., Wadsworth, J., Wagner, D., Westall, F., Wolter, D., Zucconi, L. 2019. Limits of Life and the Habitability of Mars: The ESA Space Experiment BIOMEX on the ISS. Astrobiology 19:145-57. DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1897 (top read paper in Astrobiology for 2019)
Vecchioni, S. Capece, M.C., Toomey, E., Rothschild, L. & Wind, S.J. 2019. Methods of Synthesis and Characterization of Conductive DNA Nanowires Based on Metal Ion-Mediated Base Pairing for Single-Molecule Electronics. J. Self-Assembly and Molecular Electronics (SAME), 6: 61-90. doi: https://doi.org/10.13052/jsame2245-4551.6.4
Stamenković, V., Beegle, L.W., Zacny, K., Arumugam, D.D., Baglioni, P., Barba, N., Baross, J., Bell, M.S., Bhartia, R., Blank, J.G., Boston, P.J., Breuer, D., Brinckerhoff, W., Burgin, M.S., Cooper, I., Cormarkovic, V., Davila, A., Davis, R.M., Edwards, C., Etiope, G., Fischer, W.W., Glavin, D.P., Grimm, R.E., Inagaki, F., Kirschvink, J.L., Kobayashi, A., Komarek, T., Malaska, M., Michalski, J., Ménez, B., Mischna, M., Moser, D., Mustard, J., Onstott, T.C., Orphan, V.J., Osburn, M.R., Plaut, J., Plesa, A.-C., Putzig, N., Rogers, K.L. Rothschild, L., Russell, M., Sapers, H., Sherwood Lollar, B., Spohn, T., Tarnas, J.D., Tuite, M., Viola, D., Ward, L.M., Wilcox, B. & Woolley, R. 2019. The next frontier for planetary and human exploration. Nature Astronomy, 3(1) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-018-0676-9
Konosuke, M.I, Kono, N., Paulino-Lima, I.G., Tomita, M., Rothschild, L.J., & Arakawa, K. 2019. Complete genome sequence of Arthrobacter sp. Strain MN05-02, a UV-resistant bacterium from a manganese deposit in the Sonoran Desert. J. Genomics 7:18-25. doi:10.7150/jgen.32194
Kofler, J., Collins, J.P., Kuzma, J., Marris, E., Esvelt, K., Nelson, M.P., Newhouse, A., Rothschild, L.J., Vigliotti, V.S., Semenov, M., Jacobsen, R., Dahlman, J.E., Prince, S., Caccone, A., Brown, T., Schmitz, O.J. 2018. Editing Nature. A call for coordinated local deliberation for gene editing of wild species. Science 362 (6414): 527-9. DOI: 10.1126/science.aat4612
Fujishima, K., Wang, K., Palmer, J., Abe, N., Nakahigashi, K., Endy, D. & Rothschild, L.J 2018. Reconstruction of cysteine biosynthesis using engineered cysteinefree enzymes. Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group 8:1776. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19920-y https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-19920-y
Emerson, J… & Rothschild, L.J. 2017. Schrödinger’s microbes: Tools for distinguishing the living from the dead in microbial ecosystems. Microbiome 5:86 DOI 10.1186/s40168-017-0285-3 http://rdcu.be/u2pq
Folliard, T., Steel, H., Prescott, T.P., Wadhams, G., Rothschild, L.J., & Papachristodoulou, A. 2017. A synthetic recombinase-based feedback loop results in robust expression. ACS Synthetic Biology 6(9): 1663-71. DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00131
Folliard, T. Mertins, B., Steel, H., Prescott, T.P., Newport, T., Jones, C.W., Wadhams, G., Bayer, T., Armitage, J.P., Papachristodoulou, A. & Rothschild, L.J. 2017. Ribo-attenuators: novel elements for reliable and modular riboswitch engineering. Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group, 7: 4599.
Matsubara, T., Fujishima, K, Saltikov, C., Nakamura, S. & Rothschild, L.J. 2016. Earth analogs for past and future life on Mars: Isolation of perchlorate resistant halophiles. Internatl. J. Astrobiology, doi:10.1017/S1473550416000458
Paulino-Lima, I., Fujishima, K., Navarrete, J.U., Galante, D., Rodrigues, F., Azua-Bustos, A., & Rothschild, L.J. 2016. Extremely high UV-C radiation resistant microorganisms from desert environments with different manganese concentrations. Photochem. Photobiol. 163: 327–36.
Holm-Hansen, A.C., Paulino-Lima, I., Fujishima, K., Rothschild, L. & Jensen, P. 2016. Draft Genome Sequence of Hymenobacter sp. Strain AT01-02, Isolated from a Surface Soil Sample in the Atacama Desert, Chile. Genome Announcements. v4, p e01701-15.
Rothschild, L.J. 2016. Synthetic biology as the enabling technology for humans on Mars. Biochemical Society Transactions, 44(4): 1158-64. DOI: 10.1042/BST20160067; http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/content/44/4/1158
Toomey, E., Xu, J., Vecchioni, S., Rothschild, L., Wind, S, & Fernandes, G. 2016. Comparison of Canonical versus Silver-Mediated Base-Pairing on Single Molecule Conductance in Poly-cytosine dsDNA. J. Phys. Chem. C 120:7804-9. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.5b11968
Verseux, C., Acevedo-Rocha, C.G., Chizzolini, F., Rothschild, L.J. 2016. Misconceptions of synthetic biology: Lessons from an interdisciplinary summer school. NanoEthics: Studies of New and Emerging Technologies. DOI 10.1007/s11569-016-0264-3 http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1007/s11569-016-0264-3?author_access_token=QxfMDSPjqIBZvbNSXrQSQPe4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY6XOBjC3__s-DHt34Bqk-CCVQYtrCjCElgbttrrnylIQQJMsmDva2Fwci8F69bR2xC7v4Nh4JZCCG2ksD3qMfVvmOlEEj4bbKrGfKn0fQd1tw%3D%3D
Verseux, C., Baqué, M., Lehto, K., de Vera, J-P., Rothschild, L.J. & Billi, D. 2015. Sustainable life support on Mars – the potential roles of cyanobacteria. Internatl. J. Astrobiology, 28 pp. doi:10.1017/S147355041500021X
Fujishima, K., Venter, C., Wang, K. & Rothschild, L.J. 2015. An overhang-based DNA block shuffling method for creating a customized random library. Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group (DOI: 10.1038/srep09740)
Hegde, S., Paulino-Lima, I., Kent, R., Kaltenegger, L. & Rothschild, L.J. 2015. Surface biosignatures of exo-‐Earths: Remote detection of extraterrestrial life. Proc. Natl. Academy Science, USA. 112(13): 3886-91. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1421237112.
Cumbers, J. & Rothschild, L.J., 2014. Salt Tolerance and Polyphyly in the Cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis (Pleurocapsales). J. Phycol. 50: 472–482.
Horikawa, D.D., Cumbers, J…. et al. Rothschild, L.J. 2013. Analysis of DNA Repair and Protection in the Tardigrade Ramazzottius varieornatus and Hypsibius dujardini after Exposure to UVC Radiation. PLoS One 8(6): e64793. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064793.
Paulitsch-Fuchs, A.H., Fuchs, E.C., Wexler, A.D., Freund, F.T., Rothschild, L.J., Cherukupally, A. & Euverink, GJ.W. 2012. Prokaryotic transport in electrohydrodynamic structures. Physical Biology 9: 11 pp, doi:10.1088/1478-3975/9/2/026006
Horikawa, D.D., Yamaguchi, A., Sakashita, T., Tanaka, D., Hamada, N., Yukuhiro, F., Kuwahara, H., Kunieda, T., Watanabe, M., Nakahara, Y., Wada, S., Funayama, T., Katagiri, C., Higashi, S., Yokobori, S-I., Kuwabara, M., Rothschild, L.J., Okuda, T., Hashimoto, H., & Y. Kobayashi. 2012. Tolerance of Anhydrobiotic Eggs of the Tardigrade Ramazzottius varieornatus to Extreme Environments. Astrobiology, 12: 283-9.
Leuko, S., Neilan, B.A., Burns, B.P., Walter, M.R. & Rothschild, L.J. 2011. Molecular Assessment of UVC Radiation-Induced DNA Damage Repair in the Stromatolitic Halophilic Archaeon, Halococcus hamelinensis. Photochem. Photobiol. 102: 140-5.
Johnson, A.P., Pratt, L.M., Vishnivetskaya, T., Pfiffner, S., Bryan, R.A., Dadachova, E., Whyte, L., Radtke, K., Chan, E., Tronick, S., Borgonie, G., Mancinelli, R.M., Rothschild, L.J., Rogoff, D.A., Horikawa, D.D. & Onstott, T.C. 2010. Extended survival of several organisms and amino acids under simulated Martian surface conditions. Icarus 211: 1162-1178.
Rothschild, L.J. 2010. A powerful toolkit for synthetic biology: over 3.8 billion years of evolution. BioEssays 32:304–313.
Leuko, S., Rothschild, L.J. & Burns, B.P. 2010. Halophilic Archaea and the Search for Extinct and Extant Life on Mars. J. Cosomology 5: 940-50. (http://journalofcosmology.com/SearchForLife113.html)
Balk, M., Bose, M., Ertem, G., Rogoff, D.A., Rothschild, L.J. & Freund, F.T. 2009. Oxidation of water to hydrogen peroxide at the rock-water interface due to stress-activated electric currents in rocks. Earth and Planetary Letters 283: 87-92.
Rothschild, L.J. 2008. The evolution of photosynthesis….again? Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. B. 363: 2787–2801. doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0056. pp. 1-15.
Foster, J.S., Singh, A.K., Rothschild, L.J. & Sherman, L.A. 2006. Growth-Phase Dependent Differential Gene Expression in Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803 and Regulation by a Group 2 Sigma Factor. (online, DOI 10.1007/s00203-006-0193-6; Archives of Microbiology)
Bishop, J.L., Louris, S.K., Rogoff, D.A. & Rothschild, L.J. 2006. Iron Oxide: An Early Sunscreen for Photosynthetic Microbes? Internatl. J. Astrobiology 5: 1-12.
Rothschild, L.J. 2004. Protozoology (Protistology) at the dawn of the 21st Century. J. Eukaryotic Microbiol. 51: 3-7.
Schuerger, A.C., Mancinelli, R.L., Kern, R.G., Rothschild, L.J. & McKay, C.P. 2003. Survival of Bacillus subtilis on Spacecraft Surfaces under Simulated Martian Environments: Implications for the Forward Contamination of Mars. Icarus 165: 253-276.
Rothschild, L.J. 2003. The Sun: The Impetus of Life in Evolution on Planet Earth: The Impact of the Physical Environment, L. Rothschild and A. Lister, eds. Academic Press, London. Pp. 87-107.
Rothschild, L.J. & Giver, L.J. 2003. Photosynthesis below the surface in a cryptic microbial mat. Intl. J. Astrobiology 1: 295-304.Rothschild, L.J. & Mancinelli, R.L. 2001. Life in extreme environments. Nature (London) 409: 1092-1101.
Rothschild, L.J. 1990. Earth analogs for Martian life. Microbes in evaporites, a new model system for life on Mars. Icarus 88: 246-260.
Rothschild, L.J. 1999. The Influence of UV Radiation on Protistan Evolution. J. Euk. Microbiol. 46: 548-555.
Rothschild, L.J. 1989. Protozoa, Protista, Protoctista: What’s in a name? J. Hist. Biol. 22: 277-305.
Rothschild, L.J. & DesMarais, D. 1989. Carbon isotope fractionation and the search for life on Mars. Adv. Space Res. 9: 159-165.
Kite, G.C., Rothschild, L.J. & Dodge, J.D. 1988. Nuclear and plastid DNA’s from the binucleate dinoflagellates Glenodinium (Peridinium) foliaceum and Peridinium balticum. BioSystems 21:151-63.
Rothschild, L.J. & Heywood, P. 1988. “Protistan” nomenclature: Analysis and refutation of some potential objections. BioSystems 21: 197-202.
Books
Rothschild, L.J. & A. Lister (eds.) 2003. Evolution on Planet Earth: The Impact of the Physical Environment. Academic Press. 456 pp. ISBN: 0-12-598655-6
Accepted Proposals
2024-7 “Evolutionary processes that drove the emergence and early distribution of life” NASA Science Mission Directorate Planetary Internal Scientist Funding Model (ISFM) Co-PI with Mark Ditzler
2024-5 “An Off Planet Laundromat” (Center Innovation Fund, CIF, Rothschild PI)
2024-6 “Mycotecture off Planet” (NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase 3, Rothschild, PI) Press release: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-advances-research-to-grow-habitats-in-space-from-fungi/
2024-5 “Defining the Figures of Merit for an On-demand Astropharmacy”, (TRISH, Rothschild, PI)
2024-5 ““Detoxifying Mars: the biocatalytic elimination of omnipresent perchlorates” (NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase 1, Rothschild, PI)
2023-4 “Green Energy for the Red and Blue Planets” (Center Innovation Fund, CIF, Rothschild PI)
2023-4 ““No longer inert: a tunable fungal display platform” (Ames Research Innovation Award (ARIA), Rothschild PI)
2023-2025 “A flexible, personalized, on-demand Astropharmacy” (NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase 2, Rothschild, PI)
2023-4 “Biomineralization-Enabled Self-Growing Building Blocks for Habitat Outfitting on Mars
” (NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase 1, Congrui (Grace) Jin, PI
2021-3 “Mycotecture off Planet” (NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase 2, Rothschild, PI)
2021 “Understanding amyloids to prevent biofilm formation in space” (Ames Research Innovation Award, Rothschild PI)
2021 “Miniature biomimetic Swarms: A novel approach to remote sensing” (NASA Ames Innovation Fair)
2020 “Biological Nanowires: Self-Assembly of Complex Nanoelectronic Components from Biologically-Derived Precursors” (Center Innovation Fund)
2020-1 “An Astropharmacy” (NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase 1, Rothschild, PI)
2020-3 “Space Synthetic Biology” (ESA Topical Team, Rothschild member)
2018-9 “Myco-architecture off planet: growing surface structures at destination” (NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) phase 1, Rothschild, PI)
2018-20 “Biological Solutions for Sustainable Mining” (USGS; Rothschild Co-I)
2016-9 “Low cost, disposable and field-deployable biosensors for real-time detection of wildlife diseases” (USGS Innovation Award)
NASA Missions: PI, PowerCell Payload on EuCROPIS
Awards & Others
2024 Member, EBRC (Engineering Biology Research Consortium)
2024 NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) Fellow, NASA
2021 Presidential lecture, Phycological Society of America
2020 NASA Group Achievement Award, PowerCell on EuCROPIS
2020 NASA Ames Group Achievement Award, PowerCell on EuCROPIS
2020 NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) Fellow, NASA
2019 NASA Ames Director’s Award for EuCROPIS mission
2019 TEDx talk posted on TED global
(388 k views as of 4.26.2022)
2018 NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) Fellow, NASA
2018 VanZant Endowed Lectureship sponsored by Rice Bioscience Graduate students
2016 2016 Gagliardi Family Distinguished Lecture, Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI
2016 2016 Colston Symposium Public Lecture, Bristol, UK (7 September)
2016 NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) Fellow, NASA
2016 Vice-Chancellor Award Public Lecture, University of Southern Queensland, Australia
2015 Horace Mann Medal, Brown University Graduate School
2015 American Humanist Association’s Isaac Asimov award (awarded at Annual Meeting; citation: http://conference.americanhumanist.org/awardees2015/
Acceptance Speech
2014 TEDx talk, March 9, Life as we (now) know
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlCK7HO2Cyg)
2013 NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) Fellow, NASA
2013 Lecture, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences-Molecular Frontiers, May
2012 CEO Award, Gen9 G-Prize
2010 Distinguished Planetary Science Lecture, University of Western Ontario (Canada)
2009 Tim Mutch Memorial Lecturer, Brown University
2005 Elected Corresponding Member, International Academy of Astronautics (Life Sciences)
2004 Elected Fellow, California Academy of Sciences
2004 Elected Fellow, The Explorer’s Club
2004 NASA Outstanding Achievement Award
2002 Keynote Speaker, Vatican, and Windsor Castle
2002-3 President, Society of Protozoologists
2001 Auger Fellow, Hotchkiss School
2000 NASA Group Achievement Award, Astrobiology Team
1999 Elected Fellow, Linnean Society of London
1990, 1998 Jack N. Nielson Award, NASA Ames Research Center
1987-90 National Academy of Sciences NRC Research Associate
1987 National Research Council Fellowship, Canada (declined to accept NAS NRC)
1979 University Fellowship, Indiana University
iGEM (international Genetically Engineered Machine) competition
2019 Faculty advisor, Brown-Stanford-Princeton iGEM team, “Astropharmacy” (http://2019.igem.org/Team:BrownStanfordPrinctn) winner, Genscript iGEM award, top 100 Tech Briefs “Create the Future”, https://contest.techbriefs.com/2019/top-100. iGEM gold medal and iGEMers award.
2018 Faculty advisor, Stanford-Brown-RISD iGEM team, “Mycotecture” (http://2018.igem.org/Team:Stanford-Brown-RISD)
2017 Faculty advisor, Stanford-Brown iGEM team, “Mars: getting there and staying there” (http://2017.igem.org/Team:Stanford-Brown)
2016 Faculty advisor, Stanford-Brown iGEM team, “BioBalloon” (http://2016.igem.org/Team:Stanford-Brown) Blue ribbon sustainability, Maker Faire, winner, best measurement, gold medal, runner-up for best in manufacturing) (see https://news.brown.edu/articles/2016/10/igem)
2015 Faculty advisor, Stanford-Brown iGEM team, “Self-folding Origami” (http://2015.igem.org/Team:Stanford-Brown, winner, manufacturing track, gold medal, nominated for best poster, best composite biobrick and best biobrick collection) (see https://www.calacademy.org/explore-science/packing-for-space, https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28532-bacteria-build-bendy-plastic-that-astronauts-could-use-for-tools/
2014 Faculty advisor, Stanford-Brown-Spelman iGEM team, “Towards a biodegradable UAV” http://2014.igem.org/Team:StanfordBrownSpelman#SBS%20iGEM (gold medal). Projects: Biomaterials, Waterproofing, Cellulose linker, Amberless Hell Cell, Biodegradation. This project has generated enormous attention, from Discovery Canada to Popular Mechanics, Tech Times, Tech WeekEurope UK, Fast Company, Ubergizmo, Mirror UK, Toronto Star, Autoevolution, Le Monde, Olhar Digital, International Business Times Italia, Endgadget, Forbes, Atlantic Tech, Wired UK, Exec Gov, Washington Post, CNN tech
2013 Faculty advisor, Stanford-Brown iGEM team, “Synthetic BioCommunication” http://2013.igem.org/Team:Stanford-Brown (gold medal, finalist). Projects: BioWires, CrisprCas, De-Extinction, EuCROPIS
2012 Faculty advisor, Stanford-Brown iGEM team, “Synthetic Astrobiology” http://2012.igem.org/Team:Stanford-Brown (winner, “Best New Part”, Western Regionals; “Top 16” World Championship; honorable mention “Human Practices” Western Regional and World). Projects: Hell Cell, Biomining, Venus Life (http://www.calacademy.org/sciencetoday/igem-competition/ http://www.calacademy.org/sciencetoday/igem-competition/)
2011 Faculty advisor, Brown-Stanford iGEM team, “Mars BioTools: Synthetic Biology for Space Exploration” http://2011.igem.org/Team:Brown-Stanford (winner, two Editors Choice blue ribbons, Maker Faire Sept. 2011, iGEM gold medal, “Best Presentation” and final four, Americas; sweet 16 and Best New Application, World Championship). Projects: RegoBrick, PowerCell (also see http://www.calacademy.org/sciencetoday/igem-competition/)