{"id":6129,"date":"2024-11-25T09:13:55","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T08:13:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sci4gi.mediassociations.fr\/interview\/clara-thomas-discovering-the-secrets-of-the-universe\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T18:29:42","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T16:29:42","slug":"clara-thomas-discovering-the-secrets-of-the-universe","status":"publish","type":"interview","link":"https:\/\/sciencesforgirls.com\/en\/interview\/clara-thomas-discovering-the-secrets-of-the-universe\/","title":{"rendered":"Clara Thomas, Discovering the Secrets of the Universe"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Dive into the fascinating world of astrochemistry and exobiology with Clara Thomas, a passionate doctoral student exploring the mysteries of life beyond our planet.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

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? <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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). <\/span><\/p><\/div>

My Thesis and Research Work<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
My thesis at LATMOS is in the field of exobiology, which aims to understand if life could exist – or have existed – on other planets.<\/div>

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.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

A Concrete Example<\/span><\/h3><\/div>

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.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

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<\/strong> 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. <\/span><\/p>

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Photos of the mirror fabrication and telescope mount<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
Today, it’s ready to be integrated into a structure to form a homemade telescope, although, I must admit, I \u201ctend to procrastinate and haven\u201d’t yet taken the time to finalize it!<\/div>
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In the meantime, this summer, I \u201cbuilt two Dobsonian mounts for other telescopes, to improve my woodworking skills. It\u201d’s very satisfying to \u201cuse an instrument that\u201d you’ve made yourself! <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>

My Journey<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
I’m from Lorraine and completed all my schooling up to high school in Toul, Meurthe-et-Moselle. In high school, I became passionate about chemistry, and it was after participating in the national chemistry olympiads in my junior year that I decided to pursue this path. I then joined the PCSI\/PC preparatory classes at Louis-le-Grand high school. <\/div>
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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. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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What I also liked about ESPCI was the importance given to practical work. During the first two years, about 16 hours per week are devoted to lab work, which takes place in the school’s laboratories. <\/div>
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This training ‘in research, through research’ allows us to become familiar with the scientific approach through practice and to interact with research professors.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

Astronomy, a Great Passion for Me!<\/span><\/h3><\/div>

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. <\/span><\/p>

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. <\/p><\/div>

Finally, when I discovered my current research topic, it became obvious, as it allows me to reconcile my chemistry training with my long-standing passion for space! And I love working on exobiology-related themes and the fascinating questions it raises, from the origin of life to its distribution in the solar system and beyond. <\/div>
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Better Understanding Our Solar System<\/span><\/h3>

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!<\/p><\/div>

Studying them in the laboratory allows us to characterize the interactions between living matter and mineral substrates in these particular environments. It also helps identify the types of samples where biosignatures are best preserved over time. <\/div>

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. <\/p><\/div>

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. <\/p><\/div>

What does the daily life of a PhD student look like?<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
On a daily basis, this means I conduct laboratory experiments to analyze terrestrial samples called analogs<\/em>: samples collected in extreme terrestrial environments, where conditions are comparable to those of certain bodies in the solar system.<\/div>
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Examples of analog samples from LBNM (photo credit: Ma\u00ebva Millan)<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figcaption>
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These analog samples can be minerals from lava tubes, hydrothermal deposits, or even fossils of very ancient life. The goal is to identify biosignatures \u2013 traces of past or present life \u2013 and better understand how they could form and be preserved. <\/div>
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On the left, the \u201cgolden dome\u201d cave in Lava Beds National Monument (LBNM) which owes its color to microbial mats (films of bacteria) on the rock. (Photo credit: Ma\u00ebva Millan)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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An important part of my work is also simulating the working conditions of instruments on board space probes. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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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.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

A day with me<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
My laboratory work involves analytical techniques such as gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry<\/em> (or GC-MS), which allows for the separation and identification of molecules in a sample.<\/div>
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The GC-MS I work with<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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For some samples, I use pyrolysis<\/em>, which heats the \u201csample 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\u201d sample before analysis in a process called derivatization<\/em>. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

My work time is divided between laboratory experiments and office work. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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In the laboratory, I spend time preparing samples \u2013 which can involve, for example, grinding mineral samples before analysis.<\/span><\/p>

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<\/em> molecules, those containing elements such as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, which form the basis of the chemistry of life. <\/p><\/div>

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The other part of my time is devoted to analyzing the data obtained. The results provided by GC-MS are indeed complex and can require hours of interpretation to understand the different molecules present. This requires meticulous work to interpret the results and understand whether these organic molecules indicate a biological process, or if they could have formed through chemical processes unrelated to life. <\/div><\/div>
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And on the side… science outreach!<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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<\/em> Science outreach at the Bauduen observatory<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
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During the summer of 2022, I had the opportunity to do science outreach at the Bauduen observatory, a place that organizes astronomical observations for the general public.<\/div>
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I loved sharing my knowledge about the vast menagerie of objects that can be observed as an amateur astronomer.<\/div>
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This experience taught me to adapt my discourse to make sometimes complex concepts accessible to everyone, which is a very different exercise from presenting research to other scientists!<\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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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. <\/span><\/p><\/div>

Some advice for you!<\/strong><\/span><\/h2><\/div>

I think the SciGi initiative is really great! <\/span><\/p><\/div>

It’s important to have representation of women in science, especially for young girls because stereotypes influence us from a young age.<\/div>

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! <\/p><\/div>

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Don’t be afraid to explore science, dream big, and believe in your abilities.<\/span><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>
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Find Clara on Linkedin<\/u><\/a>! <\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Edited by Shyrin, Clara, and Mazzarine<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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