Encountering Life in the Universe

Chris Impey is a University Distinguished Professor at the University of Arizona, USA. As Deputy Head and Academic Head of the Department of Astronomy, he runs the US's largest undergraduate majors programme in astronomy and the second-largest Ph.D. programme. His research centres on observational cosmology, gravitational lensing, and the evolution and structure of galaxies. Anna H. Spitz is the Education and Public Outreach lead on OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission at the University of Arizona, USA. OSIRIS-REx is a partnership (University of Arizona, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Systems, Lockheed Martin, and worldwide collaborators) to return a sample of an asteroid to the Earth. Since joining the University of Arizona in 2000 Dr. Spitz has worked on various projects with the Center for Astrobiology, Biosphere 2, and Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter. William R. Stoeger is the Senior Staff Scientist at the Vatican Observatory Research Group at the University of Arizona, Tucson, USA, specialising in theoretical cosmology, gravitational physics and interdisciplinary studies bridging the natural sciences, philosophy and theology. He specialises in black-hole astrophysics and cosmology, and as a Jesuit priest, he explores the interface between science and theology, and science and philosophy.