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Network for Ocean Worlds (NOW)

Deep sea life.

The Network for Ocean Worlds (NOW) was formed to advance our understanding of ocean worlds across their interiors, their oceans, and their cryospheres. NOW performs research in ocean world analog environments on Earth, undertaking comparative studies between the Earth and other ocean worlds, such as Europa and Enceladus. This work helps us understand the potential habitability of ocean worlds; methods to search for biosignatures on these worlds; and also provides insight into life in Earth's oceans. The network is designed to accelerate ocean worlds research by facilitating communication among active research teams funded across NASA divisions and by expanding community-wide engagement.

Team members investigate the diversity of physical and chemical conditions on ocean worlds and how their evolution may support conditions suitable to sustain life by identifying ocean worlds, characterizing their oceans, evaluating their habitability, searching for life, and ultimately attempting to understand any life found there. NOW will also facilitate the development of future NASA missions to Ocean Worlds, beginning with Europa Clipper, and will create a network of scientists and technologists that will help accelerate NASA’s Ocean Worlds program by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and learning across the interdisciplinary spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives represented within the network of NASA-funded ocean worlds investigators.

Organizational Structure

Current co-Leads:

  • Chris German, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
  • Jackie Grebmeier, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
  • Shannon MacKenzie, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
  • Alison Murray, Desert Research Institute

Early Career (FLOW) co-Leads:

  • Elizabeth Spiers, co-lead, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
  • Katherine Dzurilla, co-lead, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • Tomoko Bell, Social and Conference, Newman University
  • Perianne Johnson, Social and conference, University of Texas at Austin
  • Nuri Park, Communications, Arizona State University
  • Gabby Rizzo, Communications, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Visit the NOW Website

NOW maintains an independent website to coordinate activities. There you will find information on research from scientists within the NOW network, featured scientific results in the form of research 'nuggets,' contact information, NOW events, workshops, and more.

Click here about Visit the NOW Website
The log is the work NOW in bold dark blue letters. Inside the O are three wave shapes that circle around the inside of the letter. Below the logo reads Network for Ocean worlds on two lines. "Network for" (dark blue), and then "Ocean Worlds" (light blue).

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