James Nick Benardini | |
|---|---|
| 8th NASA Planetary Protection Officer | |
| Assumed office 2021 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Lisa Pratt |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Planetary Protection Officer at NASA |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrobiology, Microbiology |
| Institutions | NASA |
| Thesis | Microbiology of aquatic environments :characterizations of the microbiotas of municipal water supplies, the International Space Station Internal Active Thermal Control System's heat transport fluid, and US space shuttle drinking water (2007) |
James Nick Benardini is an American microbiologist who served as the 8th Planetary Protection Officer for NASA from 2021 onward under President Joe Biden.[1] He has a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from the University of Arizona and a PhD in microbiology, molecular biology and biochemistry from the University of Idaho. In 2016, he won the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for his contributions to planetary protection at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.[2][3]