Education

Ph.D., Earth and Planetary Science, 2023
McGill University
Vanier Scholar | GPA: 4.0 

  • Thesis: Advancing Mars Life Detection: Insights from a Glaciovolcanic Analogue and Enhanced Rover Survey Techniques.
  • Courses completed in: Isotope Geochemistry, Geostatistics, Sedimentology & Stratigraphy, Principles & Applications of Materials Characterization, Science Communication & Outreach 
  • McGill mini-MBA Executive Development Course 

B.Sc. (Hons), Earth and Environmental Science, 2017
McMaster University
Summa cum laude | GPA: 3.9 

Research Experience

Ph.D. Dissertation Research (2017-2023)

McGill University

My research combines experimental simulations, fieldwork, and spectroscopic analyses. I blend geological and analytical chemistry methods to better understand biosignature detection within materials on Earth, and ultimately on Mars. I have developed new remote spectroscopy techniques to identify bioessential nutrients and clay minerals on Mars, intended to help guide researchers towards sampling sites with the greatest astrobiological potential. Additionally, I use solvent extraction methods to study the ecology of Mars-like environments here on Earth and to look at how signs of that life (remnants of cells) get preserved in different environments. 

In addition, I support my research group by writing grant proposals, giving my peers feedback and advice on their projects and presentations, proofreading their papers, and offering support in the field.

 

NASA Mars 2020 Mission – Perseverance Rover Flight Operations Team (2020-ongoing)

I contribute to the daily strategic operation of the Perseverance Mars rover. I am a Science Payload Uplink Lead for the SuperCam Team, where I design laser-based and optical spectroscopy experiments to assess the chemistry and mineralogy of Mars’ surface materials. I also serve the Mars 2020 Team as a mission documentarian, recording notes of our daily strategic operation meetings, and as a Targeting Scientist, offering expert guidance on the specific rocks and regolith that should be investigated. 

I give frequent presentations to both the SuperCam and the greater Mars 2020 team to share recent data processing progress. I have contributed to several publications from the mission by collecting data during strategic mission operations, helping to calibrate the instrument response, participating in data cleaning, contributing to regular discussions of data products, interpreting chemical trends, and assisting with manuscript writing — all helping to advance out understanding of Jezero crater!

I also help ensure that all the data collected from SuperCam are publicly available and of high quality, because accessible science is important for progress. 

 

Research Assistant (2020-2021)

During the COVID-19 lockdowns I contributed to a collaborative project between McGill University and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, investigating the efficacy of laser ablation (the same technology I use to study Martian geochemistry) as a rapid serological test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. I contributed to the study design, method development & validation, data management, statistical analyses, interpretation, and manuscript preparation.

Read the paper here.

 

Summer Research Assistant (2017)

University of Western Ontario

I used optical and electron microscopy techniques to catalogue putative ichnofossils preserved in impact glasses sampled from the Ries Crater. 

 

B.Sc. Honours Thesis Research – NASA BASALT Program (2016-2017)
The BASALT (Biologic Analogue Science at Lava Terrains) Project was a simulated Mars mission designed to field-test a human-robotic exploration mission to Mars. The project was a large collaboration between scientists, engineers, astronauts, and communications experts. I participated as a field scientist for two seasons, visiting volcanic environments in both Idaho and Hawai’i. I collected pristine samples that were returned to the lab for analytical chemistry. I used solvent extraction techniques, flash chromatography, and gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry to study the habitability and lipid biomarker preservation potential of these volcanic terrains as analog environments for early and present-day Mars. 

Funded Proposals (Total: $160,000 CAD)

CSA Class G&C Program to Support Research, Awareness and Learning in Space Science and Technology

Title: “Seeking Signs of Life: Using Nitrogen as a Mineral for Habitable Environments on Mars”

Reference No. : 21EXPCOI1

Role: Science Lead

 

European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research And Innovation Programme | Transnational Access 

Title: “Production and Early Preservation of Biosignatures in Glaciovolcanic Lakes: A Biogeochemical Analogue for Mars”

Reference No. : 871149

Role: Principal Investigator

 

Scholarships & Awards (Total: $234,938 CAD)

     Fellowships

  • 2020 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, National Science & Engineering Research Council of Canada $150,000
  • 2018 Canada Graduate Scholarship (M.Sc.), National Science & Engineering Research Council of Canada $17,500
  • 2018 Lorne Trottier Science Accelerator Fellowship, McGill University $20,000
  • 2017 The Western Science Undergraduate Pre-Thesis Award, University of Western Ontario $6,250
  • 2016 Undergraduate Student Research Award, National Science & Engineering Research Council of Canada $7,500

     

    Merit Awards

  • 2023 Wolf Vishniac Memorial Award in Biogeochemistry, International Symposium on Environmental Biogeochemistry $1,000
  • 2023 McGill Graduate Research Enhancement and Travel Award, McGill University $427
  • 2022 Best Oral Presentation Award, Earth & Planetary Science Department $300
  • 2022 McGill Graduate Mobility Award, McGill University $9,636
  • 2022 Canadian Space Agency Travel Award, Canadian Space Agency $4,575
  • 2020 Clay Mineral Society Student Research Award, Clay Mineral Society $3,000
  • 2019 Leroy Award, McGill University $2,600
  • 2019 J B Lynch Award, McGill University $1,050
  • 2018 Geoscience Foundation Scholarship, The Mineralogical Association of Canada $5,000
  • 2017 Geoscience Education Scholarship, Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario $5,000
  • 2017 The Middleton / Walker Prize in Sedimentary Geology, McMaster University $1,350

Publications

Link

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

First Author:

  • Bosak et al. including Gibbons E. (2024) Astrobiological potential of rocks acquired by the Perseverance rover at a sedimentary fan front in Jezero crater, Mars. AGU Advances. 5(4).
  • Gibbons E, Léveillé R, Berlo K (2024). Assessing the Feasibility of LIBS for Detecting Nitrogen in Martian Surface Materials. Spectrochim Acta B. 216.
  • Udry et al. (including Gibbons E.) (2023) A Mars 2020 Perseverance SuperCam Perspective on the Igneous Nature of the Máaz Formation at Jezero Crater and Link With Séítah, Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 128.7.
  • Farley et al. (including Gibbons E.) (2022) Aqueously altered igneous rocks sampled on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars. Science. 377(6614).
  • Wiens RC et al. (including Gibbons E.) (2022) Compositionally and Density Stratified Igneous Terrain in Jezero Crater, Mars. Science Advances. 8(34).
  • Anderson RB, Forni O, Cousin A, Wiens RC, Clegg SM, Frydenvang J, Gabriel TS, Ollila A, Schröder S, Beyssac O, Gibbons E, et al. (2022). Post-landing major element quantification using SuperCam laser induced breakdown spectroscopy. Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy.
  • Berlo K, Xia W, Zwillich F, Gibbons E, Gaudiuso R, Chiklis G, Melikechi N. (2022) Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 immune response in plasma. Scientific Reports.
  • Gibbons E, Léveillé R, Berlo K. (2020). Data Fusion and Multivariate Analysis: Enhancing the Detection of Materials. Spectrochim Acta B. 170.
  • Brady A, Gibbons E, Sehlke A, Renner C.J, Nawotniak S.K, Lim D.S.S, Slater G. (2020). Microbial Community Distribution in Variously Altered Basalts: Insights into Astrobiology Sample Site Selection. Planetary and Space Science. Planetary and Space Science 194: 105107.
  • (In Progress) Gibbons E, Léveillé R, Berlo K, Slater G. (2023-2024). Microbial Distribution and Diversity in a Glaciovolcanic Setting: Implications for Mars.
  • (In Progress) Gibbons E, Léveillé R, Berlo K, Slater G. (2023-2024). Biosignature Preservation Potential of Subglacial Geothermal Fields: Sampling Strategies for Mars. 

Refereed Conference Proceedings

  • Gibbons E, Slater G, Léveillé R, Berlo K. (2024) Exploring Biomarker Signatures in Glaciovolcanic Environments: Implications for the Search for Life on Mars. 2nd Joint Symposium of the International Societies for
    Environmental Biogeochemistry &
    Subsurface Microbiology.
  • Gibbons E, Léveillé R, Berlo K, Slater G. (2023). Making and Maintaining Lipid Biosignatures in a Glaciovolcanic Setting. 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. (Poster)
  • Castro K, Arana G, Población I, Clegg SM, Gibbons E, et al. (2023). Principal component analysis on the SuperCam-LIBS spectra of rock targets in the first 640 sols in jezero crater. 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
  • Dehouck et al. (including Gibbons E). (2023). Overview of the Bedrock Geochemistry and Mineralogy Observed by SuperCam During Perseverance’s Delta Front Campaign. 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
  • Zastrow AM, Ollila A, Clegg A, Dehouck E, Gibbons E, et al. (2023). Unsupervised Classification of Mars 2020 SuperCam VISIR Spectra. 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
  • Gibbons E, Léveillé R, Berlo K. (2022). Exploration strategies to support the search for sequestered nitrogen on Mars. 44th COSPAR Scientific Assembly. (Oral)
  • Gibbons E, Léveillé R, Berlo K. (2022). Fixed Nitrogen as a Tracer of Habitable Environments on Mars: Enabling In Situ Spectral Detection. 53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. (Oral)
  • David G, Cousin A, Forni O, Schröder S, Rammelkamp K, Léveillé R, Gibbons E, et al. (2022). Clay Mineral Analyses With The Chemcam Instrument At The Marimba, Quela And Sebina Drill Locations, In Gale Crater, Mars. 53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
  • Wiens RC, et al. (including Gibbons E). (2022). Composition and density stratification observed by supercam in the first 300 sols in Jezero crater. 53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
  • Cousin A, Anderson R, Forni O, Benzerara K, Mangold N, Beck P, Dehouck E, Ollila A, Meslin PY, Gibbons E, Gasnault O. (2021) Observations of Rocks in Jezero Landing Site: SuperCam/LIBS technique overview of results from the first six months of operations. Copernicus Meetings.
  • Salmeri A, Ali N, Gibbons E, et al., (2021). Effective and Adaptive Governance for a Lunar Ecosystem – Recommendations from the Young Generations. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space Legal Subcommittee, Sixtieth session. 2021.
  • Salmeri A, Ali N, Gibbons E, et al., (2021). Effective and Adaptive Governance for a Lunar Ecosystem – Recommendations from the Young Generations. International Astronautical Congress.
  • Gibbons E, Léveillé R, Berlo K. (2020). Improved Clay Mineral Identification by LIBS/Raman Data Fusion: Implications for in situ Mars Exploration. Goldschmidt2020. (Oral).
  • Gibbons E, Léveillé R, Berlo K. (2020). Characterization of Clay Minerals Using Data Fusion of Raman and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopies. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting. (Oral).
  • Gibbons E, Birker I. (2020). Bringing Outside Inside: Using Rock and Mineral Samples to Teach About the General Characteristics of Earth. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting. (Oral).
  • Gibbons E, Léveillé R, Berlo K. (2019). Identification and Characterization of Phyllosilicates by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy. 56th Annual Clay Mineral Society Meeting. (Poster).
  • Gibbons E, Léveillé R, Berlo K, Rapin W. (2018). Clay-Rich Fracture-Filling Cements in Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars: Recognizing Clay-Rich Rocks with LIBS. 55th Annual Clay Mineral Society Meeting. (Poster).
  • Brady A, Slater G, Gibbons E, et al. (2017). Detection of Microbial Organic Biomarkers in Terrestrial Basalts in a Mars Analogue Environment. Astrobiology Science Conference.

Teaching Experience

I have served as a caring and motivated teaching assistant for 5 years, developing lesson plans and supporting instruction in  undergraduate science classrooms. Courses include:

  • 2021: Understanding Planet Earth (~180 students)
  • 2020: Introduction to Mineralogy (~15 students) & Properties of Ore Minerals (~30 students)
  • 2019: Astrobiology (~200 students) & Understanding Planet Earth (~170 students)
  • 2018: General Geology for Engineers (~45 students)
  • 2017: Earth Systems (~30 students) & Earth Science (~15 students)
  • 2016: Introduction to Geology (~100 students)

Field Experience

Davis-Ward Region, Antarctica

I joined the 2023-2024 season of the Antarctic Search for Meteorites where I helped recover meteorite samples from blue ice fields in a remote region of the Transantarctic Mountains. This extended duration, no-facilities, remote camping season allowed me to build expeditionary skills, such as adaptability, self-reliance, interpersonal communication, and patience.

 

Kverkfjöll, Iceland 

In 2022 I led an astrobiology research expedition to Kverkfjöll, Iceland. The Kverkfjöll volcano is located on the northern edge of the Vatnajökull glacier, Europe’s largest glacier. It is one of Iceland’s most active high-temperature geothermal areas and is characterized by steaming fumaroles, springs, and mudpots with temperatures close to 100°C, as well as a large lake maintained by subsurface heat.

The site is located in a very remote part of the central highlands of Iceland and is enclosed by highly-crevassed ice year-round. 

Here, I honed skills related to:

  • Organization and planning for field work, including funding acquisition
  • Getting along with diverse participants in small groups and tight quarters
  • Remote wilderness safety
  • Resourcefulness
  • Cold weather management!

Saba, Caribbean Netherlands

In 2019, I joined a small team conducting volcanic monitoring work in Saba, an active volcanic island in the Lesser Antilles chain. I helped interpret active geological process to make predictions about possible eruptions, collected rock samples for detail studies in lab, studied and mapped past eruption deposits.

Saba is a remote destination and allowed me to build skills in comprehensive pre-planning, wilderness safety, clear communication with field members, and the value of teamwork. 

 

Spain

In 2018, I attended a two-week intensive sedimentology and stratigraphy field course in Spain. Here, I developed geological map making skills and the identification of lithologic units using micro and macro-scale observations. 

 

Mauna Kea, Hawai’i

In 2017, I travelled to Hawai’i with the NASA BASALT program to conduct a simulated Mars mission. I collected sterile samples for organic analysis under simulated Mars mission constraints to help the team evaluate strategically selected concepts of operations with respect to their anticipated value for the joint human and robotic exploration of Mars.

The BASALT project is a collaboration of scientists, engineers, operations specialists and former astronauts that brought their diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The project taught me the value of both leadership and followership when working on large teams, as well as the power of communication and a positive attitude when working long days.

 

Craters of the Moon National Preserve, Idaho

In 2017, I travelled to an ancient flood basalt deposit to collect organic samples. As above, this project was a part of the NASA BASALT program.

Science Communication

Public Speaking

  • “Mars sample Return”; Trottier Space Institute/McGill Physics, Canada
  • “Perseverance – First Year on Mars”; Royal Astronomical Society of Canada 
  • “Searching for Extraterrestrial Life”; Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Canada
  • “Grad Student Perspectives on Earth & Space Missions/Initiatives”; York University, Canada
  • “The Spectacular Solar System”; Astronomy in Action Space Camp 
  • “How to be a Scientist”; Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, Canada
  • “Planetary Science Careers”; Middle School in Claysville, Pennsylvania, USA
  • “Seeking Signs of Life on Mars”; Annual Conference of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
  • “Is there Life on Mars?”; Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

Podcasts and Interviews

  • York University Earth and Space Science Graduate Students Association, Panel Interview
  • AstroMcGill, Panel Interview
  • Cosmic Waves, Podcast
  • Global News, Television Interview 
  • Plateau Astro, Podcast

Writing

Service and Advocacy

Extracurricular Volunteer Service

  • Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Initiative Task Group for the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR)
  • Canada Deep Space Food Challenge Phase II, Researcher for the Cricket Rearing, Collection, and Transformation System team.
  • Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) — Public Relations and Communications Team Lead (Social Media Coordinator)
  • McGill Earth and Planetary Science Student Society — Chief Labour Rights Advocate; Secretary
  • Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) Canada — Vice President Internal 

Academic Service

  • Contributing member of Ocean Worlds Working Group (OWWG)
  • Webinar co-lead for NASA’s Network for Life Detection (NfoLD)

    • Member of Canada’s Planetary Exploration Topical Team on Astrobiology. In this role I helped define Canada’s Astrobiology Roadmap 

  • Contributing member of COSPAR Task Group on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA)
  • Twice served as Executive Secretary for NSPIRES (NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System)
    • Ad hoc reviewer for Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy & Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy
  • Co-Chair at Astrobiology Science Conference 2022: Detecting Life and Habitable Environments on Mars: A Synthesis of Applied, Analog, Experimental and Theoretical Approaches