Planetary Science

Our researchers are asking one of the most fundamental research questions of our time: how did life originate in the Universe, and can life be sustained on planets beyond our solar system?

Geoscience plays a crucial role in understanding the origins of life on our planet and assessing the potential of other planets to support life. By examining how planets operate—from their deep interiors to their surface environments and surrounding atmospheres—we aim to guide the search for life beyond our solar system.

Our research delves into what makes Earth uniquely habitable. How does our planet’s carbon cycle function? What did early Earth look like, and how did it develop its internal structure and the magnetic field that shields us from harmful solar radiation? Additionally, we are conducting foundational planetary science: studying sedimentary environments on Mars, searching for Earth-like exoplanets, and investigating the ice-covered moons of the Solar System.

We are proud to be one of the lead institutions in Cambridge’s Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe. This centre brings together interdisciplinary researchers from Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Institute of Astronomy, Department of Zoology, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Faculty of Divinity, and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology.