David Catling

British American astrobiologist¹

David C. Catling FRS is a Professor in Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. He is a planetary scientist and astrobiologist whose research focuses on understanding the differences between the evolution of planets, their atmospheres, and their potential for life.²

From Wikipedia’s article on David Catling (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

About

He has participated in NASA's Mars exploration program and contributed research to help find life elsewhere in the Solar System and on planets orbiting other stars. He is also known for his work on the evolution of Earth's atmosphere and biosphere. Research includes how Earth's atmosphere became rich in oxygen, allowing complex life to evolve, and conditions conducive to the origin of life,, such as how soda lakes provide an answer to the phosphate problem of the origin of life. Catling was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May 2026.

From Wikipedia’s article on David Catling, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

University of WashingtonChair 2018 to 2019¹²
University of BristolChair 2005 to 2008¹³

Early life and education

1994University of Oxford Doctor of Philosophy^{3 4}

Career

Occupation: university teacher, planetary scientist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist.⁶

Since 2018Associate chair, University of Washington^{4 5}
2017 to 2018Visiting scholar, European Southern Observatory^{4 5}
Since 2012Professor, University of Washington^{4 5}
2009 to 2012Associate professor, University of Washington^{4 5}
2005 to 2008Chair, University of Bristol^{4 5}
2005 to 2008Affiliate professor, University of Washington^{4 5}
1995 to 2001Worked at Ames Research Center^{4 5}
Date not recordedVisiting professor, University of Cambridge^{4 5}

Personal life

CitizenshipUnited States⁷

Awards

2026Fellow of the Royal Society^{8 10}
2023Fellow of the American Geophysical Union^{8 9}

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataDavid Catling on Wikidata
2
WikipediaDavid Catling on Wikipedia
3
WikidataDavid Catling: education, on Wikidata
4
Wikidataeducation, as reported
5
WikidataDavid Catling: Worked at Ames Research Center, on Wikidata
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WikidataDavid Catling: occupation, on Wikidata
7
WikidataDavid Catling: citizenship, on Wikidata
8
WikidataDavid Catling: award, on Wikidata
9
Wikidataaward, as reported
10
Wikidataaward, as reported
11
WikidataDavid Catling: Official website, on Wikidata
12
WikidataUniversity of Washington, Chair
13
WikidataUniversity of Bristol, Chair