Goldschmidt is known for her pioneering work in the field of astrobiology in addition to her medical research and her contributions to rapid testing methods for detecting microbial contaminants.
[4] Though initially discouraged by the amount of memorisation required in undergraduate biology, Goldschmidt pursued it further and became particularly interested in microbiology.
[6] After finishing her Ph.D., Goldschmidt worked in Fort Detrick, studying the effect of chemical explosions on microorganisms for George Washington University.
Little was known about the composition of lunar material or its potential risk to humans, and protocols needed to be established to contain, preserve, distribute and avoid terrestrial contamination of samples.
[3] At age 85, Goldschmidt retired from an active faculty position,[1] though she remains professor emerita at the University of Texas at Houston.
[7] For 30 years, she taught a two-week summer course at Kansas State University on rapid detection methods with a focus on food and cosmetic microbiology.
[3][7] In addition to studying new rapid detection methods, she has reviewed existing kits based on surveys among microbiologists.
[18] Goldschmidt is a long-time advocate for women in science, both through her mentorship and through her involvement in organisations supporting their career development.
[20] In 1978, she wrote an article promoting microbiology to students at the secondary level, illustrating the many potential career areas.
After her marriage and during her pregnancy, her motives in attending graduate school and her commitment to research were questioned by colleagues in the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue, who suggested that she would not have a productive career.