Lisa Pratt

Lisa Pratt
Pratt teaching a geology field course in 2007
7th NASA Planetary Protection Officer
In office
2018–2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byCatharine Conley
Succeeded byJ. Nick Benardini
Personal details
BornRochester, Minnesota, U.S.
SpouseBruce Douglas
Alma mater
OccupationPlanetary Protection Officer at NASA
Scientific career
FieldsAstrobiology, Biogeochemistry, Organic geochemistry, Petroleum geochemistry
Institutions
ThesisA paleo-oceanographic interpretation of the sedimentary structures, clay minerals, and organic matter in a core of the Middle Cretaceous Greenhorn Formation drilled near Pueblo Colorado (1982)
Notable studentsJennifer Eigenbrode

Lisa Pratt is an American biogeochemist and astrobiologist who served as the 7th Planetary Protection Officer for NASA from 2018 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. Her academic work as a student, professor, and researcher on organisms and their respective environments prepared her for the position, in which she was responsible for protecting Earth and other planets in the solar system from traveling microbes.[1] She is a Provost Professor Emeritus of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences for Indiana University Bloomington.

  1. ^ Reschke, Michael (February 4, 2018). "Indiana University professor is NASA's planetary protector". South Bend Tribune. Bloomington Herald-Times. Retrieved December 11, 2018.