Richard Léveillé specializes in biogeochemistry, a scientific discipline at the intersection of biology, geology and chemistry. He uses his specialized knowledge to explore an emerging science: astrobiology.

“As a biogeochemist, I study the influence of biology on geology and geochemical processes. Scientists now know that biological organisms may influence almost all geological processes involving liquid water. It's a fast-growing area of science.”

Dr. Léveillé was the organizer of the first Canadian Astrobiology Workshop, in June 2004, which was an outstanding success. This working group, sponsored by CSA, gathers scientists from across the country working in a variety of disciplines, but all sharing an interest in astrobiology.

Thanks to scientists like Richard, the scientific community is gradually advancing our understanding of astrobiology "I am particularly interested in the influence of micro-organisms, such as bacteria, on the formation and decay of rocks and minerals. These microorganisms often leave biosignatures preserved in the rocks. I look for them and try to understand how they formed. For the moment, my research is concerned with samples collected on Earth, from environments that resemble what we may find on Mars, or on Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter. With what I've learned, I may one day be able to identify signs of extraterrestrial life."

Mars Express took this image of the centre of Gusev crater. It seems that this area was underwater earlier in the history of Mars. Gusev is a highly interesting target in the search for traces of water and life on Mars because of the probable existence of sediments in this former lake. (Image: ESA)

A NASA research team of scientists has found evidence that strongly suggests primitive life may have existed on Mars more than 3.6 billion years ago. (Image: NASA)

Richard Léveillé is a lecturer at Concordia University, where he will be teaching about the Earth, the moon and the planets in fall 2004. "I look forward to teaching this course. It will be an opportunity for me to share my passion for geology while giving an overview of our solar system. And I will of course be throwing in a few astrobiology concepts! I would have loved to take a course like that when I was an undergraduate!"

Dr. Léveillé would also like to see more university-level space science programs offered in Canada. "Canada is investing enormous amounts of money in research and development and exploration. These projects have a lot of economic spin-offs. We must do better at making Canadians aware of what we do. We also need to make a greater effort to train space science specialists, to take advantage of the opportunity to participate in international space missions. For the moment, there are no astrobiology teaching programs in Canada."

For three years, Dr. Léveillé has taken part in oceanographic missions in the northeastern Pacific to study deep hydrothermal vents on mid-ocean ridges at depths of more than 2,000 m. "These missions are never routine. Sometimes we discover a new animal species, sometimes we witness an eruption of hot water chock-full of metals such as copper, zinc and even gold. As an astrobiologist, being on a ship on the high seas is a great opportunity to gaze at the stars, the planets and the Milky Way in a magnificent sky!"

Spirit drilled into Pilbara, a rock that appears to be dotted with "blueberries," or spherules. After analysis, scientists concluded that it has a chemical makeup, and thus watery past. (Image: NASA, JPL and Cornell)