NASA Astrobiology

Betül Kaçar, assistant professor of bacteriology, is pictured in her research lab in the Microbial Sciences Building at the UW–Madison on Oct. 21, 2021.

Betül Kaçar (University of Wisconson-Madison).Image credit: Jeff Miller / UW–Madison.

Dr. Betül Kaçar of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been selected to present this year’s Environmental Microbiology (EMI) Lecture by the Applied Microbiology International Society. Distinguished, active scientists are selected to give these annual lectures based on their “seminal contributions to microbiology and the understanding of microbiological processes.” The lecture will take place on November 16, 2023, in London, England.

Kaçar received her Ph.D. in Biomolecular Chemistry from Emory University and completed postdocs in Origins of Life and Evolutionary Biology at the former NASA Astrobiology Institute and Harvard University. Kaçar is now supported by NASA Astrobiology through an Interdisciplinary Consortia for Astrobiology Research (ICAR) grant, and is the director of the MUSE (Metal Utilization and Selection Across Eons) consortium. Dr. Kaçar is also a co-lead of the NASA Research Coordination Network (RCN), LIFE: Early Cells to Multicellularity.

Kaçar is the youngest scientists to receive this honor from the society. Previous astrobiologists to present the annual lecture include Dr. Kenneth Nealson of the University of Southern California.

Betül Kaçar to Present Annual Environmental Microbiology Lecture for Applied Microbiology International