Betül Kaçar studies the foundations of life on Earth to understand the potential for life in space.
Why you should listen
Dr. Betül Kaçar is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she leads a NASA-funded astrobiology research center and her own molecular paleobiology laboratory. Across research endeavors, Kaçar explores fundamental questions about how life originated and evolved on Earth and how we find life beyond our solar system. She partnered with 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.
