Dr Mitch Schulte

Dr. Mitch Schulte is NASA’s Mars mission science lead and Principal Science Adviser to the New Zealand Astrobiology Network. He bridges research on Earth’s extreme environments with Mars rover missions, shaping life-detection strategies for the search for past and present life.
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“The goal of the Artemis program, of course, is to get humans back into deep space. First to the Moon and then hopefully, eventually to Mars. We in the Mars Exploration Program like to point out that we’ve been sending things to Mars for quite some time. And we’ll be happy when the humans finally get there. But we’ve got an entire planet inhabited by robots at the moment. And so what we’re doing in sending all of this technology and these technology demonstrations and this hardware to Mars, is really helping us move forward in the technologies that will enable humans to visit Mars.”

Dr. Mitch Schulte is Principal Science Adviser of the New Zealand Astrobiology Network and a long time supporter of astrobiology in Aotearoa.

At NASA, Mitch is the Mars mission science lead, overseeing scientific content for multiple landmark missions: the Perseverance (Mars 2020) rover, Opportunity, and the U.S. contribution (MOMA instrument) to the ExoMars rover.

His field research spans hydrothermal systems (deep-sea vents, Yellowstone, Iceland, Californian ophiolites) and ancient microfossil sites in Western Australia, focusing on geochemistry, biosignatures, and strategies for life detection on other worlds.

Mitch leads NASA’s Mars Data Analysis and Habitable Worlds Programs, edits the Astrobiology journal, and advises on interagency ocean exploration and scientific drilling initiatives. With experience bridging extreme Earth environments to rover instruments, Mitch embodies the whole arc of life-detection science.

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