We are an interdisciplinary research center under the Rice Space Institute (RSI) at Rice University, pursuing and supporting research to understand conditions of habitability and the origin of life in the Solar System and beyond through planetary exploration 

About us

The RSI Center for Planetary Origins to Habitability (CPO2H) is dedicated to fostering cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research that spans astronomy, astrophysics, Earth and planetary sciences, chemistry, biosciences, and other related disciplines, addressing fundamental questions about the origin and habitability of planetary systems. We study how planets form, differentiate into various reservoirs, how planets interact with their host stars, how each planetary reservoir evolves over time, and how these reservoirs communicate with each other. We seek to understand these in a framework sense, both for our Solar System and in extrasolar systems. We aim to understand the processes that shape the interiors, surfaces, and atmospheres of planets.

Our researchers have diverse expertise that includes, but is not limited to, observational astronomy, theory of planet formation, geodynamics, seismology, high- and low-temperature geochemistry, cosmochemistry, experimental petrology-geochemistry, volcanology, organic chemistry, biogeochemistry, geobiology, and biosciences. We utilize natural observations using telescopes, various planetary missions, observations on Earth and other Solar System objects, conduct laboratory experiments, use theory, and numerical modeling.

We are supported by Rice University, and our researchers actively collaborate with national and international partners to strengthen the scientific community’s capacity to address big-picture questions in planetary science, planetary habitability, and the origin and sustenance of life and life-giving conditions.

Our mission

Our mission is to conduct transformative research on the physical and chemical processes that govern the origin and evolution of planets throughout space and time. We aim to connect astronomy, Earth and planetary sciences, chemistry, and biosciences,  to search for and understand planetary diversity across the universe, while training the next generation who will continue to expand the frontiers of research on the origin and planetary habitability.