Oxford Student Wins NASA Space Research Award

University of Mississippi student Abigail Boateng receives funding for research into space-based microbial construction.

Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Life Sciences

Oxford Student Wins NASA Space Research Award

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University of Mississippi biology doctoral student Abigail Boateng has been awarded a NASA Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) grant. The award supports her research into using microbes to create construction materials on the moon and Mars.

Why it matters

Transporting building materials from Earth into space is prohibitively expensive, making the development of local resource utilization essential for long-term human settlements on other planets. This project seeks to turn regolith into viable building supplies to lower mission costs.

The study focuses on utilizing microbes to break down plant waste, effectively extracting metals from lunar and Martian regolith. This fermentation process produces polysaccharides that serve as binding agents for 3D-printed habitat structures.

The players

Abigail Boateng

She is a doctoral student in biology at the University of Mississippi who was the first from her institution to receive a NASA FINESST award.

David Malott

He is the CEO of AI Space Factory and serves as a co-investigator on this microbial construction project.

NASA

The United States government agency responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and space research.

The details

Abigail Boateng is working alongside co-investigator David Malott, the CEO of AI Space Factory, to refine this bio-construction method. The research is being conducted across sites including Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, with an aim to apply these innovations to Earth-based construction as well.

The research project and associated funding will continue through 2029.

The Big Picture

This project aligns with the NASA FINESST program's objective to develop in-situ resource utilization technologies for future deep-space exploration missions. It represents a theoretical shift toward biological manufacturing rather than traditional heavy-industry construction in space.

The study's focus on developing construction binders from organic fermentation could lead to more sustainable building materials for use on Earth. Successful outcomes may eventually decrease the environmental footprint of traditional concrete production in the commercial sector.

The takeaway

This research highlights how microscopic organisms may soon provide the structural foundation for human life in extreme environments. Advancing these bio-binding techniques offers a blueprint for sustainable development both in orbital colonies and back here on Earth.