Aomawa Shields
Astrobiologist | Exploring Habitable Exoplanets
About
Aomawa Shields is an astrobiologist studying the climate and habitability of planets outside our solar system. As a TED Fellow, she has captured global attention for her research on the potential for life on exoplanets.
Shields holds a PhD in Astrophysics from UCLA and has worked as a lecturer at the University of California, Irvine. Her keynotes shed light on cutting-edge discoveries in planetary science, offering audiences a glimpse into the future of space exploration and the search for habitable worlds.
Talks1
How we'll find life on other planets
Astronomer Aomawa Shields searches for clues that life might exist elsewhere in the universe by examining the atmospheres of distant exoplanets. When she isn't exploring the heavens, the classically trained actor (and TED Fellow) looks for ways to engage young women in the sciences using theater, writing and visual art. "Maybe one day they'll join the ranks of astronomers who are full of contradictions," she says, "and use their backgrounds to discover, once and for all, that we are truly not alone in the universe."
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