Space Cafe Tokyo, Jan 2025

"The Astrobiological narrative of life’s origin on the ‘Pale Blue Dot’"

This week, join Prof. Sudha Rajamani (IISER Pune) as we explore a central aspect of astrobiology research—how life originated on our planet. This ancient, intriguing, and complex story remains one of the most fascinating scientific mysteries. Together, we will delve into the current understanding in the field and reflect even more deeply about the only home we might ever know!

Speaker info:
Sudha Rajamani got her PhD in Biochemistry from the National Institute of Immunology in New Delhi, India. She then did her postdoctoral research at the FAS Centre for Systems Biology at Harvard University, and at the Deamer lab at the University of California in Santa Cruz, where her research interests in Astrobiology, especially in the origins of life, were nurtured. She is currently a Professor in the biology department at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune, India. Sudha is the principal investigator of the Chemical Origins of Life (COoL) lab, where she and her group, along with her collaborators, use tools from diverse areas of biology, chemistry, geochemistry, and physics, to delineate the processes and niches that would have allowed for the transition from non-life to life on the early Earth. She is also passionate about Astrobiology education, both, formally and via science outreach programs in various settings. In particular, she feels strongly about mentoring school and university students in their pursuit of Astrobiology as a career.

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We will be at Good Heavens British Bar in Shimokitazawa for a space-themed talk + drinks.
Doors open at 7:30pm | Speaker starts at 8pm
Tickets can be purchased at the door for ¥1500 and cover your first drink.