Megan Bromley

PhD Student, School of Earth and Space Exploration

Research Interests: Astrobiology & Origin of Life, Complex Systems, Social Impacts of Astrobiology, Morphological Intelligence, History and Philosophy of Science, Computational Humanities, Poetics, Literary Theory

Education: Arizona State University: BS in Earth and Space Exploration, BA in English (Creative Writing), minor in Mathematics (Class of 2019). Currently a 1st-year PhD student in ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration

Current Research: I am currently trying to incorporate theoretical biology models such as the sensorimotor loop and the Umwelt into astrobiological theory. This is a project that seeks to expand our knowledge of non-human intelligences, so that we might betterunderstand “alien” phenomenologies (whether they are on Earth or not).

I am also working on a history of astrobiology as a field, using bibliographic networks and historical documents. This kind of historicizing is critical if we want to understand the sociocultural background of astrobiology, and how that might informcontemporary research.

Personal: I am also going to be pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) in the coming year—something that will hopefully be a great source of personal and professional development! I’m also in the Sun Devil Marching Band, for both fall marching band and spring basketball band (I play the piccolo). When I’m not doing either of those things, I’ve become somewhat of an eyeshadow fiend over the past few years, and I’m always trying out new creative hobbies.