Dr. Gerald Soffen has been assigned to shape the NASA plan for Astrobiology, the study of life in the universe. His task is to orchestrate this new Astrobiology program, involving NASA scientists and interested university scientists who are working in related fields.

Dr. Gerald A. Soffen is currently the Director of University Programs at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD. Formerly, Dr. Soffen was Associate Director for Program Planning in the Space and Earth Sciences Directorate at GSFC and the Senior Project Scientist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Earth Observing System.

Prior to his going to GSFC, Dr. Soffen was the Director of Life Sciences at NASA in Washington, D.C. He was responsible for all medical and biological well being of the astronauts, the Biomedical Program, the Space Biology Program, and the Exobiology program. He planned and directed the work of numerous efforts carried out in NASA's Ames Research Center, Johnson Space Center, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Prior to his assignment at NASA Headquarters, Dr. Soffen was the Chief Environmental Scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. This work included theoretical models, laboratory experiments, ground-based measurements, and remote sensing by satellite. It required coordinating environmental problems involving several federal agencies, universities, and other institutions.

Dr. Soffen was previously the Project Scientist for the Viking missions to Mars, which was launched in 1975 to conduct scientific investigations from orbit, during entry, and on the Martian surface. The Vikings were the first successful missions to perform unmanned experiments on the surface of the planet. Dr. Soffen was responsible for all of the scientific investigations, directing the activities of over 70 scientists throughout the United States. He was the Chairman of the Science Steering Group and the principal scientific Director of the Viking Missions.

Prior to the Viking Project, he managed biological instrument development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and he was Principal Investigator for the proposed Mars Microscope.

Dr. Soffen has served on numerous NASA committees. His publications deal with biomedical problems in space and the search for life on Mars.

He received his Ph.D. in Biology in 1961 at Princeton University, his M.S. from the University of Southern California, and A.B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles.