Ian Crawford

Ian Crawford is Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck, University of London. He is also an Visiting Research Associate in Astronomy at UCL's Department of Physics and Astronomy, and a Visiting Fellow at the Humanities Research Centre at the Australian National University. He is currently a Vice-President of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Ian's research activities mostly lie in the fields of space exploration (especially lunar exploration), and the new science of astrobiology (the search for life in the Universe). He is convinced that space exploration and development will prove to be of central importance for the future of humanity. While based at the ANU, he is researching into the societal implications of astrobiology, 'big history', and the exploration of space.