Mary Voytek

Dr. Mary A. Voytek is the Senior Scientist for Astrobiology in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA HQ. She is the founding Director of the Astrobiology Research Coordination Networks, a cross disciplinary framework for coordinating interdisciplinary research to advance studies in habitability and life beyond earth.  Before NASA, Dr. Voytek was at the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, VA, where she headed the USGS Microbiology and Molecular Ecology Laboratory. She has degrees in Biochemistry, Biology and Ocean Sciences. 

Dr. Voytek’s primary research interest is aquatic microbial ecology and biogeochemistry and has worked in several extreme environments including Antarctica, the arctic, hypersaline lakes, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and terrestrial deep- subsurface sites. She has held positions in several science societies, served on numerous advisory groups to Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, OSTP, and NASA, including the Planetary Protection Subcommittee, and serves as a NASA representative to a number of international groups exploring the potential for life in the universe.