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Samantha Rolfe

Lecturer in Astrobiology and Principal Technical Officer at Bayfordbury Observatory, University of Hertfordshire
I am a Principle Technical Officer and Lecturer in Astrobiology at the University of Hertfordshire. During the months of October to March I am often teaching our undergraduate students practical astronomy when they come to the University of Hertfordshire Observatory at Bayfordbury. They learn how to use the telescopes to observe and study various objects including asteroids, exoplanets, galaxies star clusters and planetary nebulae. My lecture series in Astrobiology consists of teaching how physics and astrophysics can be applied to the search for life in our Solar System and beyond.

At Bayfordbury Observatory, I am constructing a teaching radio interferometer, comprising of three 3m dishes on a 115m baseline to provide a stepping stone between the theory of radio astronomy and the multi-million pound world class facilities that our students may end up working on if they choose a career in radio astronomy.

I studied for an MPhys in Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Leicester followed by a Planetary Science and Astrobiology PhD at the Open University. My PhD involved studying biological molecules with a Raman spectrometer that had been exposed to laboratory simulations of the martian surface environment. I have applied this experience to a project at the University of Hertfordshire where I am researching the detectability of bioaerosols (particles in the atmosphere of biological origin, such as pollens, bacteria, etc.) with the LIDAR remote sensing station (LiSsI), which has an agriculture application such as crop protection.

I regularly do outreach and public engagement too, including writing articles, giving public talks and media interviews, and taking the University of Hertfordshire’s mobile planetaria to schools to inspire the next generation of scientists.

Could invisible aliens really exist among us? An astrobiologist explains

Jan 14, 2020 00:46 am UTC| Insights & Views Science

Life is pretty easy to recognise. It moves, it grows, it eats, it excretes, it reproduces. Simple. In biology, researchers often use the acronym MRSGREN to describe it. It stands for movement, respiration, sensitivity,...

Economy

Ukraine Faces $56 Billion Budget Gap as War Costs Soar

Ukraine is confronting a deepening budget crisis as Russian attacks cripple major industries, reduce tax revenues and drive the cost of fighting the war sharply higher. Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr...

Thailand Plans Dual-Class Shares to Revive IPO Market

Thailands Stock Exchange plans to introduce a dual-class share structure by 2027, aiming to attract more companies to the countrys struggling IPO market while allowing founders to retain greater control over their...

India-US Trade Deal Talks Hit Plateau, Sitharaman Says

India and the United States have reached a difficult stage in negotiations over a long-awaited trade agreement, with little room left for either side to make additional concessions, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala...

Europe EV Sales Hit Record as Affordable Models Boost Demand

Europes electric vehicle market is accelerating in 2026, with record sales and a growing range of affordable models helping automakers meet stricter European Union emissions targets, according to a new study. Electric...

RBI Rate Hike Bets Surge as Inflation Rises

Investors are increasingly betting that the Reserve Bank of India will raise interest rates this week as inflation accelerates, economic growth remains strong and major global central banks adopt more hawkish policies. A...

Politics

Ukraine to Intensify Strikes on Russian Oil Refineries

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv will intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to Moscows expanding air campaign against Ukrainian cities, while stressing that Ukraine will not deliberately...

Takaichi Pledges to Control Japan Bond Issuance

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged Monday to control government bond issuance and respond quickly to market volatility as rising yields intensify concerns over Japans public finances. In a policy speech to...

Australia Probes Flydubai Co-Pilot’s Links After FZ1073 Hijack Attempt

Australian counterterrorism authorities are investigating the local connections of the flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and attempting to seize control of flight FZ1073. The Victorian Joint Counter...

OPEC+ Keeps November Oil Output Targets Steady

OPEC+ has agreed to maintain its existing oil production targets for November, keeping supply policy unchanged as Middle East disruptions continue to limit actual output from several major producers. Seven core OPEC+...

Yemen Launches Major Offensive to Retake Houthi-Held Areas

Yemens Saudi-backed government announced Sunday a major military campaign aimed at recapturing territory controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthis, escalating a conflict increasingly linked to the wider Middle East war....

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Huawei, Qualcomm Sign Multi-Year AI and 5G Patent Deal

Chinas Huawei Technologies has reached a broad multi-year patent licensing agreement with Qualcomm covering key technologies including artificial intelligence, 5G, computing and networking, strengthening the companies...

Zcash NU7 Testnet Cuts Block Time to 25 Seconds

Zcash has activated its NU7 network upgrade on the public testnet, reducing the targeted time between transaction blocks from 75 seconds to 25 seconds as developers prepare for a potential November mainnet launch. NU7 went...

Firmus Grid IPO Draws Strong Demand, Nvidia and Blackstone Could Raise Stakes

Australian data centre operator Firmus Grid plans to reserve roughly half of the shares in its initial public offering for existing investors, potentially giving Nvidia and Blackstone an opportunity to increase their...

UK Warned Over Growing Reliance on US Cloud Providers

Britains increasing dependence on U.S. cloud computing companies for critical government services could create a major strategic and economic vulnerability, lawmakers have warned, raising concerns about data sovereignty...

AI Agents Could Disrupt Financial Services, Bernstein Says

Consumer AI agents could reshape financial services by reducing customer inertia and making it easier to switch between financial products, although trust, data access and regulatory hurdles may slow adoption, according to...