Associate Scientist, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry

Chris German is an inter-disciplinary scientist with particular expertise in seafloor exploration.  Over his career he has pioneered the use of advanced technologies to investigate deep sea hydrothermal systems whether for programs focused on seafloor geology, marine biology or processes that regulate ocean bio-geochemistry.  His exploration has included discovery of new submarine vents and the unusual life forms that they host in every ocean basin, from among icebergs in the southern ocean off Antarctica, to the permanently ice-covered Arctic.  Among these discoveries, has been the identification of a particular form of venting that can spontaneously generate chemical compounds that represent the building blocks for life and host the most primitive known forms of microbial life on Earth.  Most recently, this has seen Chris bring his expertise to bear helping lead NASA’s Network for Ocean Worlds and pursuing missions to search for evidence of habitable environments, and perhaps even life, “nearby” in our own solar system.