About Betül
Bio
Dr. Betül Kaçar studies the foundations of life on Earth to understand the potential for life in space. She is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Department of Bacteriology where she leads a NASA-funded astrobiology research center and her own molecular paleobiology laboratory. Across research endeavors, Betül explores fundamental questions about how life originated and evolved on Earth and how we find life beyond our solar system. She completed her training at Emory University, NASA Astrobiology Institute and Harvard University. She partnered with the UN Women to expand representation in STEM globally. Asteroid 284919 Kaçar, discovered by astronomers using the NASA WISE space telescope, was named in her honor.