All About Me

Michaela Musilova is an exchange student from University College London (UCL) at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).  She is currently doing research at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) through the Caltech SURF program.  Michaela’s major is in Planetary Science, with a focus on Astrobiology.  She is fascinated by extremophiles, organisms that can thrive in extreme environments and that could possibly be found on other planetary bodies.  Trying to pursue this engaging topic, she has done research on planetary surfaces and extra-solar planets at UCL (2007-2009).  Since she started her studies at Caltech in 2009, she has been involved in microbiology research including work in the labs of Dr. Jared Leadbetter, Dr. Victoria Orphan and Dr. Adrian Ponce.  Michaela’s work at JPL involves determination of the limits of growth of the psychrophilic microorganism Clostridium vincentii and, through this study, help contribute to planetary protection and life detection.

Originally from Slovakia, Michaela has had the opportunity to travel around the world, pursuing her dream of exploring new places and making new captivating discoveries in her life and in science.  Her goal would be to contribute to the search for extraterrestrial life and hopefully one day become an integral part of a prestigious organization such as NASA.

education

M.Sci. Planetary Science (International Programme), University College London, 2011 (projected)