Barbara Lafuente

Dr. Lafuente specializes in scientific databases with a focus on mineralogy and astrobiology. She contributes to the development of the Open Data Repository (ODR), open-source software to easily create and publish databases, and the Astrobiology Habitable Environments Database (AHED), a repository to share and explore user-contributed astrobiology data. Barbara supports the development of in-situ planetary mineralogical instruments (XRD, XRF, Raman), and participates in Mars analog rock and soil research via mineral characterization. Dr. Lafuente has over 10 years of experience applying a variety of analytical techniques for mineral identification and characterization including single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, Raman and NIR spectroscopies and microprobe analysis.

Current research projects:

• Astrobiology Habitable Environments Database (AHED)
• Life Detection Forum (LDF) for the Centre for Life Detection Science (CLD)

Barbara Lafuente's Website: https://sites.google.com/view/barbaralafuente/

• Lafuente, B., Downs, R. T., Yang, H., Jenkins, R. A. (2014). Calcioferrite with composition (Cas_3.94Sr_0.06)Mg_1.01(Fe_2.93Al_1.07)(PO₄)₆ (OH)₄·12H₂O. Acta Crystallographica, E70, 116-117.
• Lafuente, B., Downs, R. T., Yang, H. (2015). Crystal structure of tetrawickmanite Mn²⁺Sn⁴⁺(OH)₆. Acta Crystallographica, E71, 234-237.
• Lafuente, B., Downs, R. T., Yang, H., Stone, N. (2015) The power of databases: the RRUFF project. In: Highlights in Mineralogical Crystallography, Armbruster, T. and Danisi, R. M., eds. Berlin, Germany, W. De Gruyter, pp-1-30.
• Andronikov, A. V., Andronikova, I. E., Loehn, C. W., Lafuente, B., Ballenger, J. A. M., Crawford, G. T., Lauretta, D. S. (2016) Implications from chemical, structural and mineralogical studies of magnetic microspherules from around the lower Younger Dryas boundary (New Mexico, USA). Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, 98, 1–21.
• Peterson, R. C., Farber, G., Evans, R. J., Groat L., MacNeil, L., Joy, B., Lafuente, B., Witzke, T. (2016) Meierite, a new barium mineral with a KFI-type zeolite framework from the Gun Claim, Yukon Canada. American Mineralogist, 54, 1249-1259.
• Lafuente, B., Downs, R. T. (2016). Redetermination of brackebuschite Pb₂Mn³⁺(VO₄)₂(OH). Acta Crystallographica, E72, 293-296.
• Fenton, L.K., Bishop, J.L, King, S., Lafuente, B., Horgan, B., Bustos, D., Sarrazin, P. (2016) Sedimentary differentiation of aeolian grains at the White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, USA. Aeolian Research, 26, 117-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aeolia.2016.05.001.
• Cohn, C., Leung, S. L., Crosby, J., Lafuente, B., Zha, Z., Teng, W., Downs, R., Wu, X. (2016) Lipid-mediated protein functionalization of electrospun polycaprolactone fibers. eXPRESS Polymer Letters, 10, 430-437. https://doi.org/10.3144/expresspolymlett.2016.40.
• Lafuente, B., Downs, R. T., Origlieri, M. J., Domanik, K. J., Gibbs, R. B., Rumsey, M. S. (2017) New data on hemihedrite from Arizona. Mineralogical Magazine, 81,1021-1030. https://doi.org/10.1180/minmag.2016.080.148.
• Shannon, R. C., Lafuente, B., Shannon, R. D., Downs, R. T., Fisher, R. X. (2017) Refractive Indices of minerals and synthetic compounds. American Mineralogist, 102, 1906-1914. https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2017-6144.
• Rampe, E. B., Blake, D. F., Bristow, T. F., Ming, D. W., Vaniman, D. T., Morris, R. W, [...], Lafuente, B., et al (Submitted) Mineralogy and geochemistry of sedimentary rocks and eolian sediments in Gale crater, Mars: A review after six Earth years of exploration with Curiosity. Geochemistry.