Environmental conditions on early Earth and the chemistry that led to life were inextricably interwoven. Earth scientists and prebiotic chemists are working together in new ways to understand how and where life first emerged. This new perspective could help guide the search for life elsewhere in the solar system and far beyond.

Speaker Timothy W. Lyons is a Distinguished Professor of Biogeochemistry in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at University of California-Riverside. He is Director of the UCR Alternative Earths Astrobiology Center and the Wilber W. Mayhew Endowed Chair in Geo-Ecology. He is a fellow of the Geological Society of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geochemical Society, and the American Geophysical Union.

Tim is the 2022 recipient of the Arthur L. Day Medal from the Geological Society of America and has been honored with visiting professorships throughout the world. He holds a B.S. in engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, an M.S. in geology from the University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. in geochemistry from Yale University. His primary research interests include astrobiology, geobiology, ancient climate, co-evolution of Earth's early life and environments, and the search for life beyond our solar system.