Dive into the fascinating world of astrochemistry and exobiology with Clara Thomas, a passionate doctoral student exploring the mysteries of life beyond our planet.

Between stars and molecules, she invites us to dream and understand how chemistry can reveal clues about the origin of life in space. Ready to embark on this cosmic adventure?

My name is Clara Thomas, I’m 22 years old, and I’m an ESPCI engineer. I’ve just started my first year of PhD in exobiology at LATMOS, in Guyancourt (Yvelines).

My Thesis and Research Work

As part of my thesis, I focus on studying signs of past or present life in environments similar to those of Mars or icy moons, such as Europa and Enceladus.

A Concrete Example

A project I’m proud of, even if it’s more of a hobby, was making my telescope mirror at the Sorbonne’s optics workshop.

I crafted a parabolic mirror from scratch starting with a block of glass, with guidance from workshop members. It’s a process that took me about 50 hours and was sometimes a bit laborious, as everything is done by hand. It requires patience and precision, but it was incredibly satisfying to see this mirror take shape little by little.

My Journey

I chose ESPCI because I wanted to continue studying physics and chemistry in depth while adopting a multidisciplinary approach. This is, I think, of great importance in addressing current scientific questions that often lie at the interfaces of several disciplines.

This training ‘in research, through research’ allows us to become familiar with the scientific approach through practice and to interact with research professors.

Astronomy, a Great Passion for Me!

Passionate about astronomy from a very young age, I nevertheless hesitated a lot during my schooling to pursue a ‘hard’ science. When I discovered chemistry in high school, I knew I wanted to continue in this direction because it was an experimental science that retained a practical and concrete aspect with numerous fields of application.

It was notably my preparatory school teachers who were decisive in my journey. Their attentiveness and ability to address my questions allowed me to gain confidence and encouraged me to pursue a career in research. Subsequently, during my studies at ESPCI, I did two internships in organic synthesis and proteomics, but it was always the analytical chemistry aspect that I enjoyed the most.

Better Understanding Our Solar System

Analog samples play an essential role, as they allow us to simulate specific properties of minerals that we might encounter on other worlds in the solar system, without having to leave Earth with all the constraints that implies!

The results of this research have direct implications for space exploration. They help us better understand which potential signs of life would be most likely to be detected during future exploration missions on Mars or ocean worlds. This also helps determine which environments would be most favorable for preserving these biosignatures and where to concentrate our efforts to find them.

At the same time, by comparing the analyses of samples under terrestrial conditions to analyses under flight instrument conditions in our laboratory, we can identify potential biases in measurements made in situ. This allows us to optimize the protocols of instruments for future space missions.

What does the daily life of a PhD student look like?

An important part of my work is also simulating the working conditions of instruments on board space probes.

This means reproducing in the laboratory the analytical techniques that are currently or will one day be used to explore bodies in the solar system, in order to better understand the results of ongoing missions and optimize the analytical protocols that can be used in future missions to detect life elsewhere in the solar system.

A day with me

For some samples, I use pyrolysis, which heats the “sample to very high temperatures to release the molecules present. To make certain molecules from living organisms more difficult to identify, particularly lipids and amino acids, I add chemicals to the” sample before analysis in a process called derivatization.

My work time is divided between laboratory experiments and office work.

In the laboratory, I spend time preparing samples – which can involve, for example, grinding mineral samples before analysis.

I then pass the samples through the GC-MS to separate and detect the molecules they contain. The molecules I’m interested in are organic molecules, those containing elements such as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, which form the basis of the chemistry of life.

And on the side… science outreach!

Moreover, during my thesis, I would like to continue to be involved in scientific outreach, especially to introduce younger people to the researcher profession. I would also like to become more involved in associations that promote the representation of women in science.

Some advice for you!

I think the SciGi initiative is really great!

During my secondary education, I didn’t really have female role models in science, and I couldn’t imagine what a scientific job was like on a daily basis. Although things are changing little by little, there is still much to be done for young girls to feel legitimate in pursuing their passions in this field. My message for them would be simple: don’t censor yourselves!

Find Clara on Linkedin!

Edited by Shyrin, Clara, and Mazzarine