Steve is an early career scientist and lead for the habitability team of JPL's Icy Worlds Astrobiology group, part of NASA's Astrobiology Institute. After obtaining his PhD in Geophysics and Astrobiology from the University of Washington, in Seattle, Dr. Vance came to JPL as a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow.

Steve works with the field-deployable instruments for detecting signs of life, or biomarkers. This work may reveal clues to life's origin on Earth and elsewhere, and provides insight about possible analogues on Mars. Steve also studies the interiors of icy bodies like Jupiter's moon, Europa. Steve's work address questions of ocean composition, dynamics, and habitability through simulations of icy world ocean chemistry in the laboratory, coupled with theoretical models of fluid circulation in deep oceans. He and the icy worlds team hope to determine chemical signatures of habitability that may make their way to their host body's surface.

• B.S. Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz (2000)
• Ph.D. Astrobiology and Geophysics, University of Washington (2007)

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2007-present)
  • NASA Postdoctoral Fellow
• University of Washington, Seattle (2001-2007)
  • Research Assistant
• Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study (2003-2004)
  • Research Associate
• Institut für Planetologie, Münster (2003)
  Research Associate
• UCO/Lick Observatory (2001)
  • Research Associate
• University of California, Santa Cruz (1998-2001)
  • Research Assistant

• NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship (2007-2008)
• Misch Fellowship (2007)
• Stephens Graduate Support Grant (2006)
• National Science Foundation IGERT/NASA Astrobiology Institute Grant (2002-2005)
• Research support, University of Washington Alumni Grant, Winter and Spring (2001)
• Elks National Foundation Scholarship, 1996-2000 / Kern County Elks Scholarship (1996)
• Howard and Mamie Nichols Scholarship (1996-2000)
• Texaco Foundation Scholarship (1996-2000)

1. Vance, S., L. E. Christensen, C. R. Webster and K. Sung, 2011. Volatile Organic Sulfur Compounds as Biomarkers Complementary to Methane: Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy of CH3SH Enables in Situ Measurements on Earth and Mars. Planetary and Space Science 59, 299-303.
2. Sohl, F., M. Choukroun, J. Kargel, J. Kimura, R. Pappalardo, S. Vance and M. Zolotov, 2010. Subsurface Water Oceans in Icy Satellites: Chemical Composition and Exchange Processes. Space Science Reviews, Europlanet Volume on Icy Satellites 1-26, DOI 10.1007/s11214-010-9646-y.
3. Vance, S. and J.M. Brown, 2009. Sound Velocities and Thermodynamic Properties of Water to 700 MPa and -20 to 100 oC. JASA 127(1), 174-180.
4. Vance, S. and J. Goodman, 2009. Physical Oceanography of an Ice-covered Moon. EUROPA, University of Arizona Press.
5. Som, S. M., Z. R. Adam and S. Vance, 2009. Use the Water: In-Situ Resource Technology for Icy-Surface Landers. Acta Astronautica 64, 1006-1010.
6. Vance, S. and J.M. Brown 2008. The Icy Satellite Interior Simulator, an Apparatus for Optical Measurements in Aqueous Systems in the range -20 to 100 oC and 700 MPa. Rev. Sci. Inst. 79(1), 105105.
7. Vance, S., J.M. Brown, E.H. Abramson and N. Castle, 2008. Equations of State for Aqueous MgSO4 to 2.0 m, 700 MPa from -20 to 100°C. in preparation for submission to Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta.
8. Vance, S., J., Harnmeijer, J. Kimura, H. Hussmann, B. de Martin and J. M. Brown, 2007. Hydrothermal Systems in Small Ocean Planets. Astrobiology 7(6), 987-1005.
9. Vance, S., 2005. Exploration & Characterization of Europa. in The Astrobiology Primer: An Outline of General Knowledge|Version 1, 2006. Eds. L.J. Mix, J.C. Armstrong, A.M. Mandell, A.C. Mosier, J. Raymond, S.N. Raymond, F.J. Stewart, K. von Braun, and O. Zhaxybayeva. Astrobiology 6, 735-813.
10. Vance, S. 2005. Exploration & Characterization of Europa. in The Astrobiology Primer: An Outline of General Knowledge|Version 1, 2006. Eds. L.J. Mix, J.C. Armstrong, A.M. Mandell, A.C. Mosier, J. Raymond, S.N. Raymond, F.J. Stewart, K. von Braun, and O. Zhaxybayeva.Astrobiology 6, 735-813.
11. Vance, S. and J. M. Brown, 2005. Layering and Double-Diffusion Style Convection in Europa's Ocean. Icarus 177, 506-514.
12. Vance, S., 2003. Signs of Liquid Water; Life on Jupiter's Moon Europa? Planets & Life, A Newsletter of the Center for Astrobiology and Early Evolution 5, 4.