ISLANDS Lab

Interstellar Search for Life Around Nearby Dwarf Stars

Research in the ISLANDS Lab explores the fundamental question: where can life exist and persist in our cosmic neighborhood? We combine stellar astrophysics, astrobiology, and experimental bioengineering to understand how different stellar environments shape the possibility of life. By studying K dwarf stars within 33 parsecs, about 108 light-years, and investigating how photosynthetic organisms respond to different stellar spectra, we're charting the landscape of habitability in the solar neighborhood.

ISLANDS Lab provides undergraduate students with direct research experience spanning observational astronomy, laboratory experiments, and data analysis. Our students present at national conferences, contribute to publications, and develop skills that prepare them for graduate programs in astrophysics and astrobiology.

Based at Agnes Scott College, an all-women's institution, ISLANDS Lab is committed to championing women's contributions to astrophysics and astrobiology while building a collaborative research community that tackles fundamental questions about life in the universe.

Lab News

August 2026: Dr. Hubbard-James presents "Finding the K Dwarf Advantage" at RECONSaganza, Georgia State University. ▼
Invited talk at RECONSaganza, Georgia State University, covering the K dwarf survey results and the lab's astrobiology program.
Summer 2026: All four astrobiology and spectroscopy students spent the summer doing research. ▼
Makaila Jennings spent the summer at the Flatiron Institute through the Simons Foundation program, and Sasha Arbogast at Cornell University. Kayla Gossett Roper worked at Agnes Scott College and Spelman College, and Lia Faulks continued the growth chamber work at Agnes Scott.
March 2026: Dr. Hubbard-James named a Frontiers of Science Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences. ▼
Selected as a 2026 Frontiers of Science Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences, and presented the poster "The K Dwarf Advantage: Exploring Habitability Around the Sun's Cooler Cousins" with co-authors Todd Henry, Sebastián Carrazco Gaxiola, Allison Youngblood, Kayla Gossett Roper, Makaila Jennings, and Lia Faulks. See the poster →
Spring 2026: Students present at SpARC, Georgia Tech, and the ExplOrigins symposium. ▼
ISLANDS students presented research at the Southeastern Astronomy Research Conference (SpARC), at Georgia Tech, and as a poster at the ExplOrigins symposium.
Spring 2026: Major K dwarf census paper published in The Astronomical Journal, characterizing 580 nearby stars. ▼
ISLANDS Lab publishes The Solar Neighborhood LV in The Astronomical Journal, 171, 175, presenting spectral characterization of 580 K dwarfs within 33 parsecs. 7.4% (43 stars) show youth or chromospheric activity; the remaining 529 mature stars are the better targets for terrestrial planet searches. Undergraduate researcher Sasha Arbogast is a co-author. Read the paper →
Fall 2025: Collaborative Wow! Signal paper with Prof. Abel Méndez submitted to ApJ with student Mai Le as co-author. ▼
Collaborative paper with Prof. Abel Méndez (Planetary Habitability Laboratory, University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo) submitted to The Astrophysical Journal, analyzing archival Ohio SETI data related to the famous Wow! Signal. Undergraduate researcher Mai Le serves as co-author on the technosignature study. Read preprint →
Fall 2025: Students present at Agnes Scott symposium, GRAM, and NSBP meeting in San Jose. ▼
Students showcase research across multiple venues including Agnes Scott research symposium, Georgia Regional Astronomy Meeting (GRAM), and National Society of Black Physicists annual meeting in San Jose, California.
Summer 2025: STEM Scholars presentations by Mai Le (Wow! Signal) and Sasha Arbogast (exoplanet confirmation). ▼
Mai Le and Sasha Arbogast present at Agnes Scott STEM Scholars Program - Mai on optical follow-up search for the Wow! Signal trigger, Sasha on radial velocity confirmation of exoplanets around K dwarf stars.
Spring 2025: Student Jacinda Byam co-authors collaborative paper on radio-loud K dwarf published in The Astrophysical Journal. ▼
Undergraduate researcher Jacinda Byam co-authors collaborative paper published in The Astrophysical Journal on a radio-loud quiescent K dwarf - her first peer-reviewed publication. Read paper →
Fall 2024: Jacinda Byam and Daniela Garcia-Lara present posters at NSBP meeting in Houston. ▼
Students Jacinda Byam and Daniela Garcia-Lara present research posters at National Society of Black Physicists annual meeting in Houston, Texas, showcasing K dwarf spectral analysis and stellar activity correlations.
Summer 2024: Dr. Hubbard-James presents K dwarf census work at IAU General Assembly in Cape Town, South Africa. ▼
Dr. Hubbard-James presents spectral characterization of 615 K dwarfs at the International Astronomical Union General Assembly in Cape Town, South Africa, showcasing the lab's stellar census work to the international astronomy community.
Summer 2024: First ISLANDS undergraduate research cohort begins stellar spectroscopy projects. ▼
First cohort of ISLANDS undergraduate researchers begins hands-on work with stellar spectroscopy data, launching lab's student research program.
Fall 2023: Dr. Hubbard-James joins Agnes Scott College, establishing ISLANDS Lab. ▼
Dr. Hubbard-James joins Agnes Scott College as Assistant Professor of Astronomy, establishing the ISLANDS research group.

ISLANDS Lab is directed by Dr. Hodari-Sadiki Hubbard-James, Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Agnes Scott College.