Mars appears to have been habitable early in its history, more than 3 billion years ago; however, despite the efforts of many missions, evidence for life on Mars remains elusive. Since 2021, the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover has explored Jezero crater, once the site of an ancient lake on Mars, with the objectives of reconstructing the environment of the lake, searching for fossilised traces of life that might be preserved in its sedimentary rock record, and collecting geological materials for Mars Sample Return. In this talk, I will outline the major discoveries made by the mission thus far, including associations of organic materials with specific reduced mineral phases that have been considered a “potential biosignature” with significant implications for astrobiology (the study of the nature and distribution of life in the Universe). With Mars Sample Return somewhat under threat, I will also discuss the importance of bringing this unique and diverse suite of Martian samples to Earth for advanced laboratory study.

Event Programme

This Public Lecture will take place on Tuesday 23 June 2026.

This is a hybrid event, which can be attended in person at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, or online via Zoom.

17:30–18:00: Guests arrive for the Public Lecture. Refreshments served in the Lower Library.

18:00–19:00: Talk takes place (including Q&A)

19:00-20:00: Drinks reception in Lower Library

20:00: Event end

Speaker bio

Dr Keyron Hickman-Lewis is Lecturer in Planetary Exploration at Birkbeck, University of London. His research concerns the co-evolution of life and planetary environments, with a focus on identifying the most ancient traces of life (microbial biosignatures) on Earth and understanding how these traces may be used in the search for traces of ancient life on Mars. He is a Returned Sample Science Participating Scientist on the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission, helping to define and document the samples collected by the rover for eventual Mars Sample Return.