NAI
Shawn Domagal-Goldman
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
About
My research focuses on ascertaining as much as possible about “alien planets” using sparse data sets. For early Earth and other terrestrial planets, I work on utilizing isotopic trends as proxies for atmospheric processes and elemental cycling. This includes work on the fundamental controls on Fe isotope fractionation and on global controls on mass-independent Sulfur isotope fractionation (S-MIF). For extrasolar planets, I help develop spectroscopy-based characterization techniques that can inform us about a planet’s surface climate, habitability, and ecosystems.
I’m also extremely passionate about science communication, and believe it is our responsibility as publicly-funded scientists to bring the results of our research back to the public. To this end, I’ve helped organize FameLab events in the U.S. and am always looking for new opportunities to talk about NASA science in public forums.
Additional Activities
In 2016 – Shawn was named to the Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) for the HabEx telescope and was named the Deputy Study Scientist for the LUVOIR telescope. Both of these missions are being studied by NASA’s Astrophysics division in advance of the 2020 Decadal Survey, and both will include attempts to directly image, characterize, and search for life on rocky planets around other stars.
July 27-29, 2016 – Shawn co-chaired the NExSS Exoplanetary Biosignatures Workshop Without Walls.
Current Projects
- Task A: Solar System Analogs for Extrasolar Planetary Processes and Observations — 2016 NAI
- Exploring the Structure and Composition of Exoplanets With Current and Future Telescopes — 2015 NAI
- Habitable Planet Formation and Orbital Dynamical Effects on Planetary Habitability — 2015 NAI
- Stellar Effects on Planetary Habitability and the Limits of the Habitable Zone — 2015 NAI
- Astronomical Biosignatures, False Positives for Life, and Implications for Future Space Telescopes — 2015 NAI
- Understanding Past Environments on Earth and Mars — 2015 NAI
- Stellar Effects on Planetary Habitability and the Limits of the Habitable Zone — 2014 NAI
- Habitable Planet Formation and Orbital Dynamical Effects on Planetary Habitability — 2014 NAI
- Understanding Past Earth Environments — 2014 NAI
- Coupled Energy Balance Ecosystem-Atmosphere Modeling of Thermodynamically-Constrained Biogenic Gas Fluxes Project — 2014 NAI
- The Nature and Detectability of Astronomical Biosignatures — 2013 NAI
- Stellar Effects on Planetary Habitability and the Limits of the Habitable Zone — 2013 NAI
- Habitable Planet Formation and Orbital Dynamical Effects on Planetary Habitability — 2013 NAI
- Understanding Past Earth Environments — 2013 NAI
- Planetary Surface and Interior Models and SuperEarths — 2012 NAI
- Dynamical Effects on Planetary Habitability — 2012 NAI
- Understanding Past Earth Environments — 2012 NAI
- VPL Databases, Model Interfaces and the Community Tool — 2012 NAI
- Understanding the Early Mars Environment — 2012 NAI
- Detectability of Biosignatures — 2012 NAI
- Planetary Surface and Interior Models and SuperEarths — 2011 NAI
- Detectability of Biosignatures — 2011 NAI
- Understanding the Early Mars Environment — 2011 NAI
- Dynamical Effects on Planetary Habitability — 2011 NAI
- Understanding Past Earth Environments — 2011 NAI
- VPL Databases, Model Interfaces and the Community Tool — 2011 NAI
- Postdoctoral Fellow Report: Mark Claire — 2011 NAI
- Dynamical Effects on Planetary Habitability — 2010 NAI
- Understanding the Early Mars Environment — 2010 NAI
- Detectability of Biosignatures — 2010 NAI
- Planetary Surface and Interior Models and SuperEarths — 2010 NAI
- Understanding Past Earth Environments — 2010 NAI
- VPL Databases, Model Interfaces and the Community Tool — 2010 NAI
- Postdoctoral Fellow Report: Mark Claire — 2010 NAI
- Understanding the Early Mars Environment — 2009 NAI
- Understanding Past Earth Environments — 2009 NAI
- Planetary Surface and Interior Models and SuperEarths — 2009 NAI
- Postdoctoral Fellow Report: Mark Claire — 2009 NAI
- Limits of Habitability — 2009 NAI
- VPL Databases, Model Interfaces and the Community Tool — 2009 NAI
- Detectability of Biosignatures — 2009 NAI
- Modeling Early Atmospheric Composition and Climate — 2008 NAI
- Modeling Early Earth Environments — 2008 NAI
- Modeling Early Atmospheric Composition and Climate (Kasting) — 2007 NAI
- Understanding the Earth's Early Environment — 2006 NAI
- Modeling Early Atmospheric Composition and Climate (Kasting) — 2006 NAI
- Modeling Early Atmospheric Composition and Climate_Kasting — 2004 NAI
- The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution Subproject: The Proterozoic Oxidiation of the Earth's Surface — 2003 NAI
- The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution: The Proterozoic Oxidiation of the Earth's Surface — 2002 NAI
- Fractionation of Transition Metal Isotopes — 2002 NAI
- Fractionation of Transition Metal Isotopes — 2001 NAI
- The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution: The Proterozoic Oxidiation of the Earth's Surface — 2001 NAI
- View all 52 projects
NAI Project Collaborators
- Project collaborators as reported by the latest NAI Annual Report.
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Publications
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Domagal-Goldman, S. D., & Kubicki, J. D. (2008). Density functional theory predictions of equilibrium isotope fractionation of iron due to redox changes and organic complexation. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 72(21), 5201–5216. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2008.05.066
See Project -
Domagal-Goldman, S. D., Meadows, V. S., Claire, M. W., & Kasting, J. F. (2011). Using Biogenic Sulfur Gases as Remotely Detectable Biosignatures on Anoxic Planets. Astrobiology, 11(5), 419–441. doi:10.1089/ast.2010.0509
See Project See Project See Project -
Domagal-Goldman, S. D., Paul, K. W., Sparks, D. L., & Kubicki, J. D. (2009). Quantum chemical study of the Fe(III)-desferrioxamine B siderophore complex—Electronic structure, vibrational frequencies, and equilibrium Fe-isotope fractionation. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 73(1), 1–12. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2008.09.031
See Project -
Zerkle, A. L., Claire, M. W., Domagal-Goldman, S. D., Farquhar, J., & Poulton, S. W. (2012). A bistable organic-rich atmosphere on the Neoarchaean Earth. Nature Geosci, 5(5), 359–363. doi:10.1038/ngeo1425
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Zerkle, A. L., Claire, M. W., Domagal-Goldman, S. D., Farquhar, J., & Poulton, S. W. (2012). A bistable organic-rich atmosphere on the Neoarchaean Earth. Nature Geosci, 5(5), 359–363. doi:10.1038/ngeo1425
See Project - Anbar, A.D., Boyd, E.S., Buick, R., Claire, M., Des Marais, D., Domagal-Goldman, S., Eigenbrode, J., Erwin, D., Freeman, K., Hazen, R., Johnson, C., Lyons, T., Meadows, V., Ohmoto, H., Ono, S., Peters, J.W., Shapiro, B., Summons, R. & Walter, M. (2010). An Archean biosphere initiative [abstract 5593]. Astrobiology Science Conference 2010. See Project
- Armstrong, J., Barnes, R. & Domagal-Goldman, S. (2010). Obliquity variations in stable, high-inclination planetary systems and the impact on the habitable zone. APS Four Corners Section Meeting Abstracts, 4CF: 1001. See Project
- Barnes, R., Meadows, V.S., Domagal-Goldman, S.D., Heller, R., Jackson, B., Lopez-Morales, M., Tanner, A., Gomez-Perez, N. & Ruedas, T. (2010). Habitability of Planets Orbiting Cool Stars [Online]. Website: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010arXiv1012.1883B. See Project See Project
- Breiner, J., Domagal-Goldman, S. & Claire, M.W. (2009). Modeling rainout on ancient Mars as a function of atmospheric forcings. AGU Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA. See Project
- Demarines, J., Cash, W., Domagal-Goldman, S. & Meadows, V. (2010). Remote Detection of Biosignatures of Primitive and Evolved Life on Extrasolar Planets. See Project
- Domagal-Goldman, S., Barnes, R., Armstrong, J.C., Breiner, J. & Meadows, V.S. (2011). Tilt-a-Worlds: Effects of High Rates of Obliquity Change on the Habitability of Extrasolar Planets. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. See Project See Project
- Domagal-Goldman, S., Kasting, J. & Meadows, V. (2008). Examining the Ability of Sulfur-Bearing Gases to act as Biosignatures on Anoxic Planets. AGU Fall Meeting 2008. San Francisco. See Project
- Domagal-Goldman, S., Meadows, V.S., Kasting, J. & Claire, M. (2010). Astronomical Biosignatures for Sulfur-Rich Anoxic Biospheres. See Project
- Domagal-Goldman, S.D. & Meadows, V.S. (2010). False positives for life: A new meathod for abiotic ozone accumulation in exoplanet atmospheres. See Project
- Domagal-Goldman, S.D. (2008). Planetary biosignatures: Back to the future. Seattle, WA. See Project
- Domagal-Goldman, S.D. (2009). Density functional theory and Fe isotope fractionation. Tempe, AZ. See Project
- Domagal-Goldman, S.D. (2009). False positives and false negatives for life on extrasolar planets. Pasadena, CA. See Project
- Domagal-Goldman, S.D. (2009). Quantum astrochemistry: Densitry functional theory in astronomy. Seattle, WA. See Project
- Domagal-Goldman, S.D. (2009). Searching for smelly planets: sulfur gases as anoxic biosignatures. Tempe, AZ. See Project
- Domagal-Goldman, S.D., Kasting, J.F. & Meadows, V.S. (2008). Examining the ability of sulfur-bearing gases to act as biosignatures on anoxic planets. EOS, Transactions of AGU. See Project
- Domagal-Goldman, S.D., Segura, A., Claire, M.C. & Meadows, V.S. (2012). False Positives for Life: Accumulation of Ozone on Lifeless Planets. Astrophysical Journal. See Project
- Evans, N., Meadows, V.S. & Domagal-Goldman, S. (2010). Exploring the Detectability of Terrestrial Exoplanet Characteristics. See Project
- Evans, N., Meadows, V.S. & Domagal-Goldman, S.D. (2011). Exploring The Detectability of Terrestrial Exoplanet Characteristics. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. See Project
- Khalfa, N., Meadows, V.S. & Domagal-Goldman, S.D. (2009). Optimizing Spectral Resolution and Observation Time for Measurements of Habitability. AGU Fall Meeting. See Project
- Meadows, V.S., Claire, M.W., Domagal-Goldman, S.D., Allen, M., Anbar, A.D., Barnes, R., Boss, A., Kasting, J., Kiang, N., Martin-Torres, J., Robinson, T.D., Sleep, N., Som, S., Sparks, W. & Williams, D.M. (2009). The Search for Habitable Environments and Life in the Universe. Astro2010: The Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, Science White Papers, 201. See Project
- Som, S., Domagal-Goldman, S., Wright, K., Boldt, M. & Antonio, M. (2009). THE ASTROBIOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENT CONFERENCE (ABGRADCON). 60th International Astronautical Congress. Daejeon, South Korea. See Project
- View all 26 publications
