Chief, Astrochemistry Laboratory 
Solar System Exploration Division
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Origin of life, Exobiology, Astrobiology, Analytical chemistry, Meteorite organics, Chemical kinetics.

1991 - A.B. (Distinction), Biochemistry, Occidental College
1997 - Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego (UCSD)

2007: Goddard Exceptional Achievement Award
2007: Goddard IRAD Innovator of the Year Award (Team), VAPoR
2007: Goddard Center Director’s Team Recognition Award, OSIRIS
2007: Distinguished Performance Award, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
2004, 2005, 2006, 2008: Performance Award, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
2004: National Academy of Sciences, Beckman Frontiers of Science Symposium Participant
2002: NASA Group Achievement Award
1998-2002, 2003- : Member NASA Astrobiology Institute
1996-1997: NSCORT Exobiology Adjunct Fellow
1992-1996: NSCORT Exobiology Pre-doctoral Fellow
1991: Merck Award for Best Graduating Biochemistry Major, Occidental College

Previous Positions:

1997 - 2002: Research Scientist SETI Institute: Center for the Study of Life in the Universe/NASA's Ames Research Center: Astrochemistry Lab, Code SSA
1991 - 1997: Pre-doctoral fellow NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training (NSCORT) Exobiology, UCSD
1985 - 1987: Intern Department of Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences & Biology, University of Houston

American Chemical Society
International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (www editor 2001-2007)
Alpha Chi Sigma

Elsila J. E., Glavin D. P., and Dworkin J. P. (2009) Cometary glycine detected in samples returned by Stardust. Met. Planet. Sci 44, 1323-1330.[PDF].

Nuevo, M., Milam, S.N., Sandford, S.A., Elsila, J.E., and Dworkin, J.P. (2009) Formation of Uracil from the Ultraviolet Photo-Irradiation of Pyrimidine in Pure H₂O Ices. Astrobiology 9, 683-695.[PDF].

Glavin, D.P. and Dworkin, J.P. (2009) Enrichment of the amino acid L-isovaline by aqueous alteration on CI and CM meteorite parent bodies. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 5487-5492.[PDF].

Johnson, A.P., Cleaves, H.J., Dworkin, J.P., Glavin, D.P., Lazcano, A., Bada, J.L. (2008) The Miller Volcanic Spark Discharge Experiment, Science. 322, 404. [PDF].

Hudson, R.L., Moore, M.H., Dworkin, J.P., Martin, M.P., Pozun, Z.D. (2008) Amino Acids from Ion-Irradiated Nitrile-Containing Ices. Astrobiology 8, 771-779. [PDF].

Glavin, D.P., Dworkin, J.P., & Sandford, S.A.. (2008) Detection of cometary amines in samples returned by Stardust, Met. Planet. Sci. 43, 399-413. [PDF].

Martins, Z., Botta, O., Fogel, M. L., Sephton M. A., Glavin, D. P., Watson, J. S., Dworkin, J. P., Schwartz, A. W., and Ehrenfreund, P. (2008) Extraterrestrial nucleobases in the Murchison meteorite, Earth Planet. Sci. Let. 270, 130-136. [PDF].

Ertem, G., Snellinger-O'Brien, A. M., Ertem, M. C., Rogoff, D. A., Dworkin, J. P., Johnson, M. V., and Hazen, R. M. (2008) Abiotic formation of RNA-like oligomers by montmorillonite catalysis : part II. Int. J. Astrobio 7, 1-7. [PDF].

Ashbourn, S.F.M., Elsila, J.E., Dworkin, J.P., Bernstein, M.P., Sandford, S.A., and Allamandola, L.J. (2007) Ultraviolet Photolysis of Anthracene in H₂O Interstellar Ice Analogs: Potential Connection to Meteoritic Organics, Met. Planet. Sci. 42, 2035-2041. [PDF].

Martins, Z., Hofmann, B. A., Gnos, E., Greenwood, R. C., Verchovsky, A., Franchi, I. A., Jull, A. J. T., Botta, O., Glavin, D. P., Dworkin, J. P., and Ehrenfreund, P. (2007) Amino acid composition, petrology, geochemistry, ¹⁴C terrestrial age and oxygen isotopes of the Shishr 033 CR chondrite, Met. Planet. Sci. 41, 1581-1596. [PDF].

Ertem, G., Hazen, R. M. and Dworkin, J.P. (2007) Sequence Analysis of Hetero-Trimer Fractions Formed by Montmorillonite Catalysis in the Reaction of Binary Monomer Mixtures. Astrobiology 7, 715-722. [PDF].

Elsila, J.E, Dworkin, J.P., Bernstein, M.P., Martin, M.P., and Sandford, S. A.  (2007) Mechanisms of Amino Acid Formation in Interstellar Ice Analogs. Astrophys. J. 66, 911-918. [PDF].

Pasek, M.A., Dworkin, J. P., and Lauretta, D.S. (2007) A Radical Pathway for Organic Phosphorylation During Schreibersite Corrosion with Implications for the Origin of Life.  Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta 71, 1721-1736. [PDF].

Brownlee, D., Tsou, Aléon, Alexander, Araki, Bajt, Baratta, Bastien, Bland, Bleuet, Borg, Bradley, Brearley, Brenker, Brennan, Bridges, Browning, Brucato, Bullock, Burchell, Busemann, Butterworth, Chaussidon, Cheuvront, Chi, Cintala, Clark, Clemett, Cody, Colangeli, Cooper, Cordier, Daghlian, Dai, D’Hendecourt, Djouadi, Dominguez, Duxbury, Dworkin, J.P., Ebel, Economou, Fakra, Fairey, Fallon, Ferrini, Ferroir, Fleckenstein, Floss, Flynn, Franchi, Fries, Gainsforth, Gallien, Genge, Gilles, Gillet, Gilmour, Glavin, Gounelle, Grady, Graham, Grant, Green, Grossemy, Grossman, Grossman, Guan, Hagiya, Harvey, Heck, Herzog, Hoppe, Hörz, Huth, Hutcheon, Ignatyev, Ishii, Ito, Jacob, Jacobsen, Jacobsen, Jones, Joswiak, Jurewicz, Kearsley, Keller, Khodja, Kilcoyne, Kissel, Krot, Langenhorst, Lanzirotti, Le, Leshin, Leitner, Lemelle, Leroux, Liu, Luening, Lyon, MacPherson, Marcus, Marhas, Marty, Matrajt, McKeegan, Meibom, Mennella, Messenger, Messenger, Mikouchi, Mostefaoui, Nakamura, Nakano, Newville, Nittler, Ohnishi, Ohsumi, Okudaira, Papanastassiou, Palma, Palumbo, Pepin, Perkins, Perronnet, Pianetta, Rao, Rietmeijer, Robert, Rost, Rotundi, Ryan, Sandford, Schwandt, See, Schlutter, Sheffield-Parker, Simionovici, Simon, Sitnitsky, Snead, Spencer, Stadermann, Steele, Stephan, Stroud, Susini, Sutton, Suzuki, Taheri, Taylor, Teslich, Tomeoka, Tomioka, Toppani, Trigo-Rodríguez, Troadec, Tsuchiyama, Tuzzolino, Tyliszczak, Uesugi, Velbel, Vellenga, Vicenzi, Vincze, Warren, Weber, Weisberg, Westphal, Wirick, Wooden, Wopenka, Wozniakiewicz, Wright, Yabuta, Yano, Young, Zare, Zega, Ziegler, Zimmerman, Zinner, & Zolensky. (2006) Comet 81P/ Wild 2 under a aicroscope. Science 314, 711-716. [PDF].

Sandford, S.A. Aléon, Alexander, Araki, Bajt, Baratta, Borg, Brucato, Burchell, Busemann, Butterworth, Clemett, Cody, Colangeli, Cooper, D'Hendecourt, Djouadi, Dworkin, J.P., Ferrini, Fleckenstein, Flynn, Franchi, Fries, Gilles, Glavin, Gounelle, Grossemy, Jacobsen, Keller, Kilcoyne, Leitner, Matrajt, Meibom, Mennella, Mostefaoui, Nittler, Palumbo, Robert, Rotundi, Snead, Spencer, Steele, Stephan, Tyliszczak, Westphal, Wirick, Wopenka, Yabuta, Zare, & Zolensky. (2006) Organics captured from comet Wild 2 by the Stardust spacecraft. Science 314, 720-724. [PDF].

Glavin, D.P., Dworkin, J.P., Aubrey, A., Botta, O., Doty III, J.H., Martins, Z., & Bada, J.L. (2006) Amino acid analyses of Antarctic CM2 meteorites using liquid chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry  Met. Planet. Sci. 41, 889-902. [PDF].

Deamer, D. W. & Dworkin J. P. (2005) Chemistry and Physics of Primitive Membranes, Topics in Current Chemistry  259, 1-27. [PDF]

Glavin, D.P., Dworkin, J.P., Lupisella, M., Kminek, G., & Rummel, J.D. (2004) Biological contamination studies of lunar landing sites: implications for future planetary protection and life detection on the Moon and Mars Int. J. Astrobio. 3, 265-271. [PDF]

Dworkin J.P., Gillette, J. S., Bernstein, M. P., Sandford, S. A., & Allamandola, L. J., Elsila, J. E. McGlothlin, D. R. & Zare, R.N. (2004) An evolutionary connection between interstellar ices and IDPs? Clues from mass spectroscopy measurements of laboratory simulations. Adv. Space Res., 33, 67-71. [PDF]

Dworkin, J. P., Lazcano, A., & Miller S. L. (2003) The roads to and from the RNA world. J. Theor. Bio. 222, 127-134. [PDF]

Gudipati, M. S., Dworkin, J. P., Chillier, X. D. F., & Allamandola, L. J. (2003) Luminescence from VUV irradiated cosmic ice analogs and residues. Astrophys. J., 583, 514-523. [PDF]

Deamer, D. W., Dworkin J. P., Sandford, S. A., Bernstein, M. P., & Allamandola, L. J. (2002) The first cell membranes. Astrobiology, 2, 371-381. [PDF]

Bernstein, M. P., Dworkin, J. P., Cooper, G. W., Sandford, S. A., & Allamandola, L. J. (2002). Racemic amino acids from the ultraviolet photolysis of interstellar ice analogues. Nature 416, 401–403. [PDF]

Bernstein, M. P., Elsila, J. E., Dworkin, J. P., Sandford, S. A., Allamandola, L. J., & Zare, R. N. (2002). Side group addition to the PAH coronene by UV photolysis in cosmic ice analogs. Astrophys. J., 576, 1115-1120. [PDF]

Bernstein, M. P., Dworkin, J. P., Sandford, S. A., & Allamandola, L. J. (2002). Ultraviolet irradiation of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) naphthalene in H₂O. Implications for meteorites and biogenesis Adv. Space Res., 30, 1501-1508. [PDF]

Bernstein, M. P., Dworkin, J., Sandford, S. A., & Allamandola, L. J. (2001). Ultraviolet irradiation of naphthalene in H₂O ice: Implications for meteorites and biogenesis. Met. Planet. Sci., 36, 351-358. [PDF]

Ehrenfreund, P., Bernstein, M. P., Dworkin, J. P., Sandford, S. A., & Allamandola, L. J. (2001). The photostability of amino acids in space. Astrophys. J., 550, L95-L99. [PDF]

Dworkin J.P., Deamer, D. W., Sandford, S. A., & Allamandola, L. J. (2001) Self-assembling amphiphilic molecules: Synthesis in aimulated interstellar/precometary ices. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA. 98, 815-819. [PDF]

Sandford, S. A., Bernstein, M. P., & Dworkin, J. P. (2001) Assessment of the interstellar processes leading to deuterium enrichment in meteoritic organics Met. Planet. Sci., 36, 1117–1133.[PDF]

Jasien, P.G., Miller, S.L., Levy, M., & Dworkin, J. P. (2000) “How could life have arisen on Earth?” module 8 (ISBN: 0471-37746-5) in ChemConnections (C. B. Moore, B. Spencer and T. Schwartz eds.) (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Amazon.com.

Dworkin, J.P. & Miller, S.L. (2000) A kinetic estimate of the free aldehyde content of aldoses. Carbohydrate Res. 329, 359-365. [PDF]

Dworkin, J.P. (1997) Attempted prebiotic synthesis of pseudouridine. Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 27, 345-355. [PDF]

Kolb, V.M., Dworkin, J.P. & Miller, S.L. (1994) Alternative bases in the RNA world: The prebiotic synthesis of urazole and its ribosides. J. Molec. Evol. 38, 549-557.[PDF]

Mar, A., Dworkin, J., & Oró, J. (1987) Non-enzymatic synthesis of the coenzymes, uridine diphosphate glucose and cytidine diphosphate choline, and other phosphorylated metabolic intermediates. Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 17, 307-319. [PDF]