Astrobiologist
Zita Martins is an astrobiologist, an associate professor at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST, Portugal), and the Co-Director of the MIT-Portugal Programme. Her research areas include the detection of bio-signatures in space missions, and the potential contribution of organic compounds present in meteorites and comets to the origin of life on Earth. Currently, she is co-investigator of two ESA (European Space Agency) missions.