Biography

• Royal Society University Research Fellow, Imperial College London (UK), 2009-present
• Invited Professor, University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis (France), 2011-2012
• Associate Researcher, Imperial College London (UK), 2007-2009
• Visiting Scientist, NASA Goddard (USA), 2005, 2006
• PhD, Astrobiology, Leiden University (The Netherlands), 2003-2007
• MSc, Chemistry, Instituto Superior Técnico (Portugal), 1997-2002

Media and Public Outreach

My work has appeared on:

TV/Film

Wonder House (February 2012)

Seven wonders of the Microbe World (November 2011)

Portugueses sem Fronteiras (RTP2) (min 8:53, May 2011)

France24 (December 2010)

Bang Goes the Theory (BBC One) (May 2010)

The Cell (BBC Four) (January 2010)

Ciência Viva TV (Portugal) (April 2009)

Programa Bairro Alto (RTP2) (April 2009)

4 x Ciência (RTPN) (January 2009)

Channel 4 News (June 2008)

NTV Broadcasting company (Russian TV) (June 2008)

Euronews (June 2008)

Mexican TV (2008)

Radio

R.Science podcast (Royal Society) (March 2012)

Science Weekly (The Guardian) (October 2011)

Science Weekly (The Guardian) (December 2010)

Pessoal... e Transmissível (TSF) (May 2009)

Leading Edge (BBC Radio 4) (June 2008)

Science Update (AAAS Radio) (June 2008)

Newspapers and magazines

NatureJobs (April 2012)

Wired (March 2012)

Londonist (February 2012)

Pública (Jornal Público) (page 63, July 2011)

SuperInteressante (Portuguese) (June 2011)

Sky at Night (May 2011)

The Sunday Times magazine (November 2010)

Público (Portuguese) (June 2010)

Stylist (May 2010)

The Guardian (January 2010)

Jornal i (Portuguese) (July 2009, May 2011)

Up - TAP Magazine (Portuguese) (April 2009)

Discover magazine (Top 100 Stories of 2008)

 Oje (Portuguese) (Page 8, September 2008)

ScienceNOW (June 2008)

National Geographic News (June 2008)

Scientific American (June 2008)

The Independent (June 2008)

The Telegraph (June 2008)

Diário de Notícias (Portuguese) (April 2008, July 2008)

Public talks

Friends of Imperial College lecture (March 2012)

Café Scientifique at the Royal Society (February 2012)

Wellcome Trust (December 2011)

European Researchers’ Night at the NHM (September 2011)

Ewell Astronomical Society (September 2011)

Big Bang Fair (Big Bang Balloon Debate) (March 2011)

Sci-Fi London (Panel discussion at the ROG) (October 2010)

Slideshow for a temporary exhibition at the ROG (May to September 2010)

Nature Live at the NHM (April 2010)

Follow me on Twitter @ZitaMartins

Research Interests

• Meteorites and extraterrestrial organic matter
• Astrobiology
• Detection of organic matter in space missions