How did life arise on Earth? This question lies at the heart of my research, from probing the stability of primordial proteins and the chemistry of early oceans to exploring how simple molecules evolved into self-organizing cells. My group combines chemistry, biophysics, and biology to understand how the flow of information from DNA to RNA to proteins underpins biological complexity. Using ancestral protein reconstruction and in vitro evolution, we decode molecular history to uncover the design rules that guided life’s emergence. These principles not only shed light on life’s origins but also enable the engineering of proteins with enhanced stability, activity, and novel functions for industrial, medical, and environmental applications.