Lecture followed by Q&A
Oasis Senior Center
Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 7:00pm
NEW SERIES - SPOTLIGHT ON SCIENCE
From Molecules to Mankind: Tracing Life's Origins
Irene Chen, PhD
Professor - Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA
Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 7:00pm
Doors open at 6:30pm
The origin of life is a captivating scientific mystery that has intrigued researchers for centuries. It refers to the process by which life began on Earth, transitioning from simple organic molecules to complex living organisms. Dr. Chen will provide insight into how life may have originated; its processes as well as the latest findings from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft which was packed with life’s building blocks.
Dr. Chen is a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. She received a B.A. in chemistry and an M.D.-Ph.D. in biophysics from Harvard. She has received the Searle Scholar award, NIH New Innovator award, and the David White award for outstanding contribution in astrobiology. She has been a Simons Investigator for the Collaboration on the Origin of Life since 2013.
