Overview
Dr. Rosa Santomartino (she/her), beginning May 2025, will be an assistant professor in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering. She is a space microbiologist and biotechnologist with a deep interest in understanding microbial behavior under space conditions. Her research focuses on leveraging this knowledge to advance sustainable space exploration and to address pressing environmental challenges here on Earth.
Dr. Santomartino earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Sapienza University of Rome. During her doctoral studies, she completed internships at Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 in France and at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, earning the title of Doctor Europaeus. In 2018, Dr. Santomartino joined the University of Edinburgh as a postdoctoral research associate in microbial astrobiology. There, she led two groundbreaking space microbiology experiments—BioRock and BioAsteroid—conducted aboard the International Space Station. These brought her to collaborate with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). Her expertise was also instrumental in the development of the Italian Space Agency’s (ASI) roadmap for Space Life Sciences. In 2022, she became co-director of the UK Centre for Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh and received a prestigious Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship. Dr. Santomartino is an advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion in academia and beyond.
Research Focus
Dr. Rosa Santomartino's research focuses on harnessing microbiology, molecular biology, systems biology, and geomicrobiology to pioneer biotechnologies for sustainable space exploration. Her work aims to deepen our understanding of microbial behavior and explore how microorganisms can support key space applications such as in situ resource utilization (ISRU), bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS), and waste upcycling. By adapting these technologies to space environments, her research also generates insights that can be applied to address critical environmental issues on Earth.
Dr. Santomartino’s research group investigates plastic-degrading and bioleaching microorganisms, exploring their potential to break down, recycle, and upcycle plastics and electronic waste in space. This work aims not only to facilitate sustainable practices in space exploration but also to contribute to novel waste management and recycling strategies for Earth-based applications.
