Dr. Gerald A. Soffen (February 7, 1926 – November 22, 2000), known as Jerry or Gerry, was a NASA scientist and educator who served in a wide variety of roles for the space agency, primarily dealing with either education or with life sciences—especially the search for life on Mars. He earned his A.B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles, his M.S. from University of Southern California, and his Ph.D. in Biology from Princeton University. He pursued his postdoctoral work at New York University.