I am currently a PhD student at University of Colorado-Boulder in the Department of Geological Sciences. In coordination with my PhD, I was also a NSF Research Trainee (NRT) in the Interdisciplinary Quantitative (IQ) Biology Program through CU-Boulder's BioFrontiers Institute from 2022-2023.

My overarching research interest is the co-evolution of ancient microbes and Earth's habitability. Throughout my PhD research, I will probe questions about early microbial life on Earth using stable isotope geochemistry. Through my work, I hope to bring additional biologically-informed insights to astrobiology and our search for microbial life in our solar system.

Prior to joining CU-Boulder, I was a Research Scientist in the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Arizona. I also worked for nearly 7 years in science communication in New York City: first, as a Senior Editor in biomedical communications at BioScience Communications (a division of Edelman), and then as an Associate Director of Marketing in healthcare communications at NYU Langone Health. 

Through the George J. Mitchell Scholarship, I earned a Master's of Science in Environmental Science from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. I also hold a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and English from Albion College in Michigan.

You can reach me at: catherine.fontana@colorado.edu