solpera pty ltd · hobart, tasmania · est. 2026
Solpera was founded in Hobart in 2026 by Mathew Youssef to develop the technology and research for measuring photoprotection and living systems, and ultimately to explore new mechanisms for defining alien life. He trained on the spectroscopy of cyanobacteria during his master's research in 2025 and is now a PhD candidate at the University of Tasmania. Solpera came out of that research: the experiments, instruments and methods the questions needed did not exist, so he built a company to make them.
The name is literal: sol, sun; pera, beyond.
in the founder's words
“It is my belief that life is not defined correctly. Our understanding of it is limited by the dimensions and sensory organs through which we interact with the universe.”
mathew youssef · founder
where it is going
The long goal is to find life on other worlds. To do that, we must first better define life and living systems on our own. Polar deserts are as close as Earth comes to a Martian surface: cold, dry, irradiated, with life present but sparse and hard to see, and the boundary between living and dead blurred by organisms that stay dormant for months or years. A method that cannot find and adequately characterise life there will not find it anywhere harder, and unlike Mars, you can fly back and forth quickly enough to refine the technique.
how it is funded
Solpera builds private AI systems and custom instruments for a small number of organisations, and that engineering income is the research budget.
Research collaboration, sample or site access, or press.