Research Interests
Environmental history of Mars; Habitability of terrestrial planets; Biomarker Taphonomy; Origin of Life; Environmental Metagenomics
Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Graduate Student, Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science
Program in Geology, Geochemistry, and Geobiology
Coursework: Microbial Physiology, Molecular Biogeochemistry, The Phylogenomic Planetary Record, Stable Isotope Fractionation, Field Geobiology, Mass Spectrometry for Geobiologists, Differential Equations, Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python
GPA: 5.0 (Fall 2018)
Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Sc.B., Geological Sciences, May, 2011
Coursework: Planetary Geology, Stratigraphy and Sedimentation, Mineralogy, Petrology, Global Environmental Remote Sensing, Structural Geology, Geochemistry, Evolution of a Habitable Planet, Limnology, Physical Processes in Geology, Fossil Record, Oceanography, Ocean Biogeochemical Cycles, Evolution of the Lacustrine Ecosystem, Biochemistry, General and Organic Chemistry, Single Variable Calculus, Basic Physics
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Visiting Student, Summer, 2010
Coursework: Field Geology
Research Experience
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, August 2017 - Present
Graduate Student
Investigate the diversity of early diagenetic processes leading to kerogen formation in different environmental settings
Constrain the environmental settings for the origin of life via the RNA World through oligomer stability and nucleotide polymerization under simulated early Earth and Mars conditions
Department of Molecular Biology
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, March 2015 - July 2017
Junior Researcher
Aid in the development of a nanopore-based metagenomics instrument for future life-detection missions on Mars
Reproduce synthetic Mars analog soils from in-situ Mars rover and lander mineralogical analyses
Develop novel nucleic acid extraction and library preparation assays for sequencing microbes in low-biomass and recalcitrant synthetic Mars analog soils
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University, New York, New York, USA, August 2012 - July 2014
Research Staff Assistant
Curated and archived rock samples and sediment cores in the LDEO Core Repository collection
Assisted investigators from the national and international geoscience community in the planning and execution of sample collection activities, including sea-going expeditions
Educated teachers, students, and the public about the importance of the Core Repository for developing a better understanding of Earth processes such as climate change, ocean acidification and tectonics
Honors and Awards
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Dean of Science Fellow, Fall 2017 - Present
National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Summer 2010
Journal Publications
Mojarro, A., J. Hachey , R. Bailey, M. Brown, R. Doebler, G. Ruvkun, M. T. Zuber, & C. E. Carr. Nucleic acid extraction and sequencing from low-biomass synthetic Mars analog soils for in situ life detection. BioRxiv, 2018, PDF (In review at Astrobiology)
Mojarro, A., J. Hachey ,G. Ruvkun, M. T. Zuber, & C. E. Carr. CarrierSeq: a sequence analysis workflow for low-input nanopore sequencing. BMC Bioinformatics, 2018, PDF
Mojarro, A., G. Ruvkun, M. T. Zuber, & C. E. Carr. Nucleic Acid Extraction from Synthetic Mars Analog Soils for In Situ Life detection. Astrobiology, 2017, PDF
Bova, S. C., T. D. Herbert, Y. Rosenthal, J. Kalansky, M. Altabet, C. Chazen, A. Mojarro, & J. Zech. Upward-propagating change in Eastern Equatorial Pacific intermediate water heat and carbon content during deglaciation. Paleoceanography, 2015 PDF
Conference Publications
Mojarro, A., J. Hachey, R. Bailey, M. Brown, R. Doebler, G. Ruvkun, M. T. Zuber, & C. E. Carr. Nucleic Acid Extraction and Sequencing from Low-Biomass Synthetic Mars Analog Soils. Lunar & Planetary Science XLVIII, The Woodlands, Texas, March 21-25, 2017, Abstract #1585 PDF ePoster
Pontefract, A., J. Hachey, A. Mojarro, V. K. Walker, H. Rowedder, T. F. Zhu, C. Lui, M. T. Zuber, G. Ruvkun, & C. E. Carr. Understanding Habitability and Biosignature Preservation in a Hypersaline Mars Analog Environment: Lessons from Spotted Lake. Lunar & Planetary Science XLVIII, The Woodlands, Texas, March 21-25, 2017, Abstract #1124 PDF
Carr, C. E., A. Mojarro, J. Hachey, K. Saboda., J. Tani, S.A. Bhattaru, A. Smith, A. Pontefract, M.T. Zuber, M. Finney, R. Doebler, M. Brown, R. Talbot, V. Nguyen, R. Bailey, T. Ferguson, G. Church, & G. Ruvkun Towards In Situ Sequencing for Life Detection. Aerospace Conference, IEEE, Big Sky, Montana, March 4-11, 2017, Abstract #2353 ResearchGate
Carr C. E., A. Mojarro, J. Hachey, A. Pontefract, R. Doebler, M. Brown, G. Ruvkun, & M. T. Zuber. Progress and Challenges for Life Detection via Nucleic Acid Sequencing. Astrobiology Science Conference, Mesa, Arizona, April 24-28, 2017, Abstract #3395 PDF
Hachey, J., A. Mojarro, J. Tani, A. Smith, A. Pontefract, S.A. Bhattaru, K. Saboda, G. Ruvkun, M. T. Zuber, & C. E. Carr. Single Molecule Sequencing for Life Detection Beyond Earth. Nanopore Community Meeting, New York, NY, December 1-2, 2016 Video
Mojarro, A., J. Hachey, J. Tani, A. Smith, S.A. Bhattaru, A. Pontefract, R. Doebler, M. Brown, G. Ruvkun, M. T. Zuber, & C. E. Carr. Nucleic Acid Extraction and Sequencing for In Situ Life Detection on Mars. 3rd International Workshop on Instrumentation for Planetary Missions, Pasadena, CA, October 24-27, 2016, Abstract #4095 PDF
Mojarro, A., G. Ruvkun, M. T. Zuber, & C. E. Carr. Methods for Extracting Nucleic Acids from Mars Analog Regolith. Lunar & Planetary Science XXXXVII, The Woodlands, Texas, March 21-25, 2016, Abstract #1643 PDF ePoster
Carr, C. E., A. Mojarro, J. Tani, S.A. Bhattaru, M.T. Zuber, R. Doebler, M. Brown, K. Herrington, R. Talbot, C. Fuller, M. Finney, G. Church, & G. Ruvkun Advancing the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Genomes. Aerospace Conference, IEEE, Big Sky, Montana, 2016, Abstract #2676 ResearchGate
Mojarro, A., G. Ruvkun, M. T. Zuber, & C. E. Carr. Human Exploration at Valles Marineris: The Past, Present, and Future of life on Mars, First Landing Site/Exploration Zone Workshop for Human Missions to the Surface of Mars, 2015, Abstract #1036 PDF Slides Video
Bova, S. C., A. Mojarro, & T. D. Herbert. Variability in Eastern Equatorial Pacific intermediate water circulation during the last glacial termination: the impact of high latitude climate on equatorial stratification. American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, California, December, 2013, Abstract #PP31D-1900 Abstract
Languages
Spanish Native Speaker
Computer Skills
Programming Languages: HTML, Bash, Python
Bioinformatics Packages: PoreTools, MASH, Burrows-Wheeler-Aligner, Canu Assembler, Tablet, Kaiju, PhyML, RAxML, PhyloBayes, MUSCLE, fqrim, Bowtie 2, SAM Tools, ProtTest 3, TreePuzzle, BLAST
Applications: LATEX, Docker, Microsoft Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, Final Cut, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, AndrewLab, JMars
Benchtop Skills
Instruments: Nanopore MinION Sequencer, BioRad QX200 DDPCR, GC-FID, GC-MS
Protocols: DNA and RNA extraction and purification, PCR, Nanopore 1D library preparation, lipid extraction, column chromatography, lipid derivatization