Dale T. Andersen, Ph.D.

Dr. Dale Andersen is a Senior Research Scientist at the SETI Institute and the Principal Investigator on this expedition to Antarctica. Dr. Andersen was a member of 14 expeditions to Antarctica and 27 expeditions to the High Arctic. He also has expertise in polar and scientific diving techniques and logged more than 600 dives beneath thick ice.

Dr. Andersen’s research interests focus on the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe, and he has been involved with NASA’s Exobiology and Astrobiology programs since the mid 1980s.

He is interested in locating, characterizing, and understanding environments where physical and chemical conditions approach or exceed the tolerances for life. This includes biogeochemical processes occurring in polar lakes, oceans, and springs, or in lithic environments such as sandstones or retrogressive thaw slumps harboring massive ground ice. Of particular interest are the physical controls and ecological impacts that perennial ice-covers and thick continuous permafrost have on the structure and function of microbial ecosystems.

For more information about the  SETI Institute and Dr. Andersen's work, please visit Dr. Andersen's Staff Profile on the SETI Institute's website.