The Virtual Planetary Laboratory (VPL), one of NASA’s leading astrobiology research teams, has officially moved to the SETI Institute as its new institutional home. The transition comes as VPL prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2026, marking both a major legacy and a new phase of growth.

VPL is led by Principal Investigator Dr. Victoria Meadows, who is joined at the SETI Institute by Co-Investigators Dr. Andrew Lincowski and Dr. Eric Wolf, scientist Dr. Nick Wogan, collaborator Dr. Kim Bott, and project administrator Dr. Hannah Dawson. Their combined expertise includes planetary climate modeling, photochemistry, biosignatures, and exoplanet habitability.

For 25 years, VPL has pursued one central question: how can scientists determine whether an exoplanet supports life? The team has developed sophisticated models of planetary atmospheres, investigated potential biosignatures, studied false positives, and helped shape the science behind future exoplanet missions.

At the SETI Institute, VPL will continue this work through four NASA-funded research areas. Identify explores early Earth environments to uncover new biosignatures. Interpret examines non-biological processes that can imitate life and develops statistical tools for evaluating planetary context. Detect studies how observatories such as JWST and the future Habitable Worlds Observatory can best observe biosignatures. Assess tests how reliably biological and abiotic explanations can be separated in telescope data.

VPL researchers are also deeply involved in developing the Habitable Worlds Observatory, NASA’s planned mission to directly image and characterize potentially habitable planets.

The move has already created new opportunities. Two VPL-led projects received SETI Institute STRIDE funding: one will improve three-dimensional climate models by linking VPL’s SMART spectral tool with ExoCAM, while another will build a collaborative framework connecting exoplanet observers and theorists to accelerate research on small, potentially habitable worlds. Together, these initiatives strengthen scientific foundations for discovering and interpreting signs of life beyond the Solar System.

For more details, read the full article by SETI Institute.