https://clarasousasilva.com/work daily 1.0 2025-02-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1597698159513-ZMNRVFCR0IXJM61AHEU9/_DSC1397.JPG What I Do Here’s an excellent interview about some of my latest phosphine work, for which they took this slightly unsettling photograph. Photo credit: Melanie Gonick. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1574182451448-7I285Z5NJZXXRWDS5XYV/neil.png What I Do Someone once called me one of "The New Neil Armstrongs" lol https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1729614302804-P7WMR8UCSLPIS4WW5MDD/maxfav.png What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1729614377170-GL3A31O4M16BUCX0SUIS/image001.png What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1729614303047-HPC1ZK9DFKTST29F771N/verasfav2.png What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1729614376693-NYNZGTPUOJH3FZRKGY0E/image001.jpg What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1574182352644-RZYN31BRMZ6NUYWVHWXJ/IMG_0206.jpg What I Do I wrote an article about finding aliens, and my favourite molecule to do it: phosphine. Read it here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/f66b9067-8674-40a2-82a3-6b28eacac86c/Screenshot+2024-12-06+133534.png What I Do - Make it stand out Sometimes I let the History Channel put way too much makeup on me and edit what I say to make my work sound much more tantalizing than it actually is. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1574182628436-TT25Z1TAIBRM9P43693D/PH3.001.jpeg What I Do In fact, lots of people like the flatulent perspective on my research about phosphine and biosignatures. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1597698282731-ED4SE5H8NROYUJRQID57/222_corot_ill.jpg What I Do Someone else described my work as “finding alien farts“ which is about right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1642092529537-5MWZCYSYLDURZEJ3E0R1/screenshot.jpg What I Do - Make it stand out The NYT breaking news announcement of our, now quite controversial, potential discovery of phosphine in the clouds of Venus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/e57a45b9-3e82-46ec-b4ca-66168e9ca400/GRybus-DrClaraSousaSilva-HR-06-9090.jpg What I Do Photo credit: Greta Rybus https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1510697357466-MHBWVRNX1G1YE0OOB4JS/mir.jpg What I Do I also contributed to a lovely art thing, which you can read about (and buy) here, here, here and here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1642092207099-JZMVWWD6CHERYER333UQ/Screen+Shot+2022-01-13+at+11.42.43+AM.png What I Do - Make it stand out A wonderful (and now, award winning!) WIRED article about how the "Phosphine on Venus?" story came to be, by the inimitable Sarah Scoles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1571274940352-I81UPAQF5FOH876J5V9Q/anastasiia.png What I Do - Anastasiia Uvarova Anastasiia modelled the structure of planetary debris disks from July 2019 to June 2020. Primary mentor: Elisabeth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1571274684779-TUKREXCEBF7OFQZ66VYS/megan.png What I Do - Megan Trivedi Megan has been working on the spectroscopic features of pre-biosignature gases since the Summer of 2018. She is now an undergraduate student at the University of Washington. Primary mentor: Clara. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1571274848982-HHN3ZOA3MS5WNBN4JT3N/emelyn.png What I Do - Emelyn Matos Emelyn looked for patterns in dusty planetary systems from July 2019 to June 2020. Primary mentor: Tajana. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1575339788009-ZAWSJIWY8HAPKQDOG65Y/CLARA_SOUSA-SILVA_2-1100x1100.jpg What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1634750364876-BEK7K6SXVA7NVWOUYYSC/Untitled.png What I Do - Zahra Heussen Zahra is currently working on predicting the spectral behavior of the rovibrational structure of thousands of potential biosignature gases. Zahra is an undergraduate student at University College London. Primary mentor: Clara. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1571422965033-WBHJUGGE0YI09ACZ8X5D/matthews2018.jpg What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1571852097526-ANUENRD2PNVAP3NJI1FL/ana.jpg What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1571843898433-C23WMR4I03EDLQ92OVLX/IMG_9618.JPG What I Do - Asma Ali Asma is currently working with Cara to create the most accurate high-temperature spectra of phosphine. Asma is an undergraduate student at Columbia University. Primary mentor: Clara. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1634739905363-QATIDY60ILML6NB3DASI/20210901_094552.jpg What I Do - Lorenzo Pica Ciamarra Lorenzo is currently developing an algorithm for the large-scale improvement of the accuracy and precision for the spectra of thousands of potential biosignature gases. Lorenzo is an undergraduate student at University College London. Primary mentor: Clara. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1571852062157-3B7YMZFMDYZ4PA8P4L82/OI000441.jpg What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1571844067402-310N5GG37HI35B065W1C/cara.jpg What I Do - Cara Pesciotta Cara is currently working with Asma to create the most accurate high-temperature spectra of phosphine. Cara is a senior at Northeastern University. Primary mentor: Clara. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1575340058848-K3JKKIJWP20G3A4U3NS2/Phosphine-3D-balls.png What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1597696251683-0ZI24HZ1TOXQSDESXG9I/Exoplanet-HD-189733b-10.jpg What I Do On an oxygen-poor planet, phosphine might be produced in large quantities by its rich, anaerobic biosphere. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1597697412174-BJHVHT8OLJSO6PWCQPSJ/me_phosphine.jpg What I Do - Phosphine and me. I have been researching phosphine for a little over a decade. I simulated how phosphine interacts with light (it interacts very well), wrote my PhD thesis on it (not a page turner), investigated its presence on Earth (with much help from William and Janusz), looked at its potential as a biosignature (it has a lot of potential as a biosignature), and then I did a photoshoot with it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1493328757607-N9H3P3JETW2PDL3ZCICB/colour.jpg What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1493328898787-DOU5VHUWAQ7JERP0HYMF/color-coppertone.png What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1493328959791-KZ3DFVXV2W61IKX0YLFJ/Nightshade94-1000x1000.jpg What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1493341694481-J73US5LVLRV2ZIKKTTW7/grey.jpg What I Do https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1493410828054-KZRSASGSHR6GPJBEK1QS/TK01.jpg What I Do https://clarasousasilva.com/outreach daily 0.75 2017-04-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1492621936073-FNGG6QBZ3ZVOFLBE8LVJ/img_06441.jpg outreach https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5898c50a9f7456131b0ce375/1492621936073-FNGG6QBZ3ZVOFLBE8LVJ/img_06441.jpg outreach https://clarasousasilva.com/publications daily 0.75 2020-09-12 https://clarasousasilva.com/contact daily 0.75 2024-10-22 https://clarasousasilva.com/pagecv daily 0.75 2021-07-19