Reaching for the stars: Luke Fountain

Dr Luke Fountain’s PhD focussed on soil nitrogen cycling and plant nitrogen preference, but his interest in space exploration led him to look for a PIPS where he could apply his skills to the context of space.

Dr Fountain secured a placement at Grobotic Systems, a Sheffield-based start-up specialising in building plant growth cabinets for research. Here, he designed and constructed plant cabinets to replicate NASA’s Advanced Plant Habitat.

During his placement, Dr Fountain received funding from the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Sustainable Food to communicate why we should grow plants in space and exhibit the growth cabinets he created. Beyond public engagement, the cabinets were used to test a new foam plant growth substrate and its potential application in space.

Dr Fountain’s placement gave him his first experience in the field of space crop science, allowed him to network with others working in the area, and led him to question further how his PhD research may be applied to space crop production.

After completing his PhD, Dr Fountain wrote a research proposal for a project at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, based on his research, to explore plant nutrient provision in space environments. Recognising the importance of this research, NASA offered him a position as a Postdoctoral Fellow, where he continues to work in space plant biology.