Post by NCSR "DEMOKRITOS"

For Panayiotis Broussos, a PhD in Biochemistry from NCSR Demokritos, biology in extreme conditions turned out to be a straight line to space and to NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration: there, his focus has shifted to icy moons and dwarf planets that may conceal liquid oceans beneath their frozen surfaces. Panagiotis started his research at the Institute of Biosciences and Applications (IBA) NCSR Demokritos, in the Biophysics and Biotechnology of Membranes Laboratory. Here, he studied photosynthesis and the adaptive mechanisms of microorganisms under different environmental conditions, with a focus on organisms from extreme environments such as Antarctica. He continued in the same lab for his PhD, under the supervision of Kostas Stamatakis, working on hydrogen production by cyanobacteria and the role of photosynthesis in renewable energy processes. That foundation took him further than anyone might have expected: he was selected as a postdoctoral researcher through the NASA Postdoctoral Program. Now his research is conducted within NASA’s Astrobiology Program, in collaboration with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the NASA Ames Research Center, focusing on the study of biosignatures (chemical or biological traces that could indicate life) on icy moons and dwarf planets such as Enceladus, Europa, and Ceres. These bodies are of interest because they are thought to host subsurface liquid water. Indeed, observations from the Cassini–Huygens mission showed that plumes from Enceladus contain molecular hydrogen and organic compounds, indicating ongoing geochemical processes. To study what those findings mean for life, Panayiotis simulates cryovolcanic activity in the lab using the SOWCr (Simulator of Ocean Worlds Cryovolcanism), a setup designed by his advisor, Marc Neveu, at NASA Goddard. The researchers examine how microorganisms and their chemical signatures are affected by rapid freezing, depressurisation, vacuum and radiation. Their work also includes studying terrestrial microorganisms used as analogues for these environments, such as methanogenic archaea and sulfur-metabolising bacteria. The results contribute to the interpretation of data from missions such as Europa Clipper and support the design of future missions, including the proposed Enceladus Orbilander. Read more on Panayiotis Broussos research: https://lnkd.in/d-gwK5Cn #NCSRDemokritosAlumni #GreekResearchers #SpaceScience #Astrobiology #NASA